Not Always What It Seems COMPLETE
by GivenAnythingButLove
Summary: When Gwen the hedgehog moves to Middle North Mobius, she feels she can get a good start as a freshman in high school. What she DOESN'T expect is to be faced by spoiled brats, perverted boys, and a vampire. M for violent scenes, lemon, blood, and language.
1. A Mysterious Shadow

Hello, all. I wanted, first of all, to say thank you for clicking here :) This is my first story on here, and I'm hoping that it may get reviews (: It may be just wishful thinking, though, since I'm not the best one out there.

I also wanted to say that I own Gwen, Anne, and Alex :)

And I don't own the official characters, of course :)

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The light blue hedgehog sat at the empty lunch table and her thoughts blended together as she stared out of the open window to her left. She knew not to get nervous about this day, though it was her first day of school. She remembered her mother's reassuring smiles and words of comfort.

Oh, her poor mother. All she'd been through over the past several weeks. First she lost her job as an accountant, then her husband... taken, transformed into a robot, then thrown out like scrap metal, by Doctor Robotnik.

The very name made the aqua creature quiver internally with hatred and fear. That horrid, inhuman being, who wasn't even a native Mobian, had turned her world upside down. She wanted to shoot him between his spectacle covered eyes and show him the misery he had caused her family. Her usually serene mother felt the same way.

Then her mother had decided that they would move from South-Eastern Mobius to the Middle-North. It was chaotic: bags flying everywhere, suitcases being dragged out of closets, and yells of urgency around her home. She knew she never wished to face such a move like this ever again. But she knew she would when she left the house permanently.

The hedgehog was shaken from her thoughts by a feminine voice that she knew. "Gwen." She looked up and saw a white echidna with golden eyes.

"Hey, Anne," she replied to her lifelong friend. Gwen felt very fortunate that she had been allowed to come with her during the big move. Anne's mom had been planning on moving there already, so it worked out quite well for the two friends. Anne sat down across from her at the table and began to spin her apple on its side, utterly bored.

Gwen could hear laughing across the cafeteria and looked up. She saw a populated, happy group of creatures who were all different colors, species, and ages. In the midst of them all stood an electric blue hedgehog with intense green eyes that sparkled with mischief and a sense of arrogance. His red and white shoes were tattered from use, and the golden buckles on the outsides were dull and covered in dust. He was known everywhere on Mobius, and on a section of Earth, as well. His speed was unmistakable, as was his tendency to show off.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

Gwen smiled to herself, but didn't get out of her seat. She didn't wish to make a fool of herself on her first day.

Anne had a different idea. She looked over her shoulder at the smiling lunch table. "It looks like a lot of fun over there, and we're practically doing nothing. Let's go sit with them." When Gwen didn't respond, Anne made a puppy face. "Please?"

Gwen sighed. She couldn't refuse puppy faces. "Okay, okay." She stood from the table, holding her tray, and walked across the room. Anne followed her like a very obedient puppy who wouldn't pee on your foot or your library books at random intervals, but would still probably chew on your couch cushions if you didn't let them out before snack time. As they approached the group, Gwen felt slightly jittery. She couldn't place the reason.

Before they could pause and say something to attract their attention, a red echidna with muscular abs and arms looked up at them and grinned. Gwen knew him to be Knuckles. Knuckles turned in his seat and tapped a yellow-orange fox, Tails, on the shoulder. "Yes?" Tails asked, not lifting his eyes from a Science magazine.

"There's a couple of hot chicks who want to speak with us," Knuckles muttered, still smiling like a pervert. It wasn't meant for the girls to hear, but they did and blushed.

Sonic heard as well and looked at them. He gave Gwen a one-over with his eyes, which she found somewhat rude, but didn't comment on it. He grinned his usual cocky grin. "Hey, ladies," he said, digging in his ear with a finger. "I'm Sonic."

"We know," Gwen replied kindly and smiled at him. "I'm Gwen, and this is my friend Anne."

"How ya'll doin', ya'll?" Anne drawled in her Southern accent.

"I'm fine," Knuckles said, looking away from her for a few seconds. Then he met her eye. "I'm Knuckles."

The rest of the table remained silent and didn't draw attention to themselves besides smiling, but Gwen already knew most of their names: Amy Rose, Cream, Cosmo, Silver, Blaze, and one girl fox she didn't recognize. She was gray and black and had vivid pink eyes. She appeared to be very young, about 8. Sonic glanced at where she was looking and said, "That's Alexandria. She's the newest of the gang."

"It's Alex, Sonic," she groaned, placing a fingerless gloved hand on her muzzle and yanking at the loose white furs. "My name is ALEX."

"Whatever, that's your nickname," Sonic replied, giving her a look. She just rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyway, do you want to sit with us?" Sonic continued, looking at Gwen.

"Yes, we would love to," she replied, giving him her best smile.

"There's a free spot next to me and one in between Knuckles and Tails." Sonic gestured with his hand at the chairs.

Gwen took the seat next to him as Anne squeezed herself in between the red echidna and the fox. When Sonic thought nobody was watching, he glanced at Gwen and winked at her slyly, grinning as she blushed.

Tails tapped his fork on the side of his Powerade bottle for order and they went quiet. "Is there any business that needs to be discussed?" he said in a serious manner.

_Business?_ Gwen and Anne thought, looking at each other. _What is this, a meeting?_

"I found money on the ground," Knuckles grinned and pulled a 100 dollar bill from his pocket.

Sonic smiled. "Sweet, dude." He took it from his hand and inspected it. "No rips or anything, just a dirt smudge."

Tails inspected it next. "It has a signature from Miley Cyrus on it."

"Who the hell is Miley Cyrus?" Knuckles asked.

"A human celebrity, you blockhead," Amy Rose spoke up from the other side of Sonic, glaring at the echidna.

"Oh."

"Anyway, no matter who signed it, the money isn't valid now. It'll have to be recycled or something," Amy continued.

"Damn it!" Sonic cursed loudly, bringing his fist down hard on the table and making the forks clatter. He sighed. "And that would have bought me a good video game."

"Tell me about it," Knuckles mumbled.

"Anything else?" Tails asked.

"I have a report on Shadow's behavior," Alex said, pulling a notebook out from under the table.

"What?" Gwen asked. _Why would they need a report on the behavior of shadows?_

"Shadow the Hedgehog," Sonic explained, seeing Gwen's confused look. "He's been acting strange for the past couple of days. He's always been strange, actually. Doesn't say a word to any of us."

"I assume he isn't at this table," Anne said.

"Oh, HELL, no," Sonic declared, picking up a chili dog and shoving more half of it into his mouth. He swallowed and wiped the leftover chili and mustard off of his face with the back of his hand. "He's an outsider. Keep going, Alex."

She nodded and flipped through the pages, aware of all their eyes on her. "Ah, here it is," she muttered. "He hasn't eaten or drank anything, and he hasn't done his usual bulimia thing. Maybe he's going anorexic."

"What's bulimia? And what does anorexic mean?" Anne asked.

"They're eating disorders," Tails said. "Bulimia means you eat then throw it up. Anorexic means you literally starve yourself."

"Oh, ew," Anne said.

"That's all I got," Alex finished, closing her book.

Tails looked at Gwen and Anne. "You must never tell another soul about this. We will have another meeting tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Good. This meeting is adjourned," he broadcasted.

Gwen looked around in her seat. "Where does Shadow sit in the cafeteria?"

"He's behind you," Sonic said, pointing at a table in the back. "The black and red one."

Shadow sat at his table, staring hard at the floor next to him. His tray was empty, just like the chairs around him. He didn't have his shirt buttoned up, and a tuft of white fur was showing on his chest. His abs were tight, but not too flashy. As Gwen looked at him, he raised his eyes from the floor. The color of them shocked her and sent a nervous chill down her spine. Maroon. She looked away as he dropped his gaze._ Creepy._ She finished eating her apple and worked on her turkey sandwich, trying to keep her mind off of him. When that didn't work, she decided talking would be better. "What's with Shadow? Why is he an outcast?"

"He's a r--" Amy didn't finish her sentence as Knuckles had clamped his hand over her mouth.

"They don't need to know that, there are young people around," he murmured. Suddenly he yanked his hand back and yelled out. "Don't bite me!"

"Then don't touch me," she replied, holding her head high.

"Look who's talking," Sonic muttered, too low for anyone to notice unless they had super-hearing.

The bell rang above their heads and Gwen stood from the table. Alex soon followed suit, then Amy, and they trashed their foam trays. Gwen looked back at the table. Silver, Blaze, Cosmo, Tails, Anne, and Cream had disappeared, and Knuckles and Sonic were still there, laughing at something Sonic had said. Gwen suspected it was about Shadow, who was looking at them in annoyance and anger. Soon they got up and ran to the trash cans and out the back door.

"Are they coming to class?" Gwen asked.

"No, they're known for cutting most of the school day except for lunch," Alex said from her left side. "I don't know how Sonic manages to stay in school, what with the records he has. He must be teetering right on the edge."

"What about Shadow?"

Alex's jaw tightened. "He shows up far more than they do. He only ditches about one day a week."

Gwen could sense that Alex was uncomfortable talking about someone else's personal schedule, so she changed the subject. "Shadow looks a good bit like Sonic."

Alex snorted. "They're look-alikes in the fact that they're both male hedgehogs, but nothing else at all." Then she walked away for her next classes.

Gwen turned to Amy, who had been quiet during the conversation. To her surprise, her expression was somewhat angry as she stared at the floor. "What's wrong, Amy?"

The pink hedgehog looked up at her and there were flames in her eyes. "You're trying to steal Sonic from me, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Only someone with a burning crush on Sonic would want to know so much information."

"Hey now, it doesn't hurt to know a little bit about friends," Gwen snapped at her.

"I'll be watching you and Sonic, Gwen," Amy replied. "I'll watch and I'll know if you try something crazy on him." She ran off in a pink blur.

Gwen took a deep breath. _Ah, crap. Now I've got a STALKER. _

_

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_

So… R&R please.

Not all chapters will be this length, they can vary.

Peace Love and Music, ~GivenAnythingButLove


	2. Manipulations Of The Heart

So this one is shorter than the first chapter :P Sorry about that, but I felt the need to update.

This one is more explicit than chapter one. Children, cover your eyes.

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Sonic appeared in front of her and she jumped with a little yell. "Hey," he said, smiling wide. "Did I scare you?"

"Oh, no," she sighed. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Sorry," he said, leaning against the wall. He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and sent a text message to Knuckles. Knuckles replied:

**KNUCKLES: ur rlly perverted, u no? Just disgusting. And dnt say that bout Gwen. **

**SONIC: who givs a damn?**

**KNUCKLES: she will.**

Sonic sighed and put his phone in his pocket again. "Whoreson," he muttered, too low for Gwen to hear.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly. He'd delete the messages later, just in case Gwen was a stalker like Amy. _It's possible._ Internally he shuddered at the memory of seeing Amy looking through his Sent messages and then telling everyone that he still had a ratty old teddy bear in his bedroom. He looked at the light blue hedgehog standing only two feet away from him and thought about what he'd like to do with her, wondering how her fingers might feel against his skin. He thought it would be pretty nice. He found his eyes drifting to her body, where he could see her skin shimmer near her eyes, and the shimmer continued down her neck and to her chest...

His thoughts were too private to be shared.

- - - - -

Amy lurked in the corner of the hall, watching the two hedgehogs talk. She saw the shimmering in Sonic's eyes when he looked at her. She knew the shimmer. She got it in her eyes whenever she thought of her and Sonic being together, alone, maybe with some popcorn and a horror movie.

She flamed internally. _Sonic is mine, and Gwen needs to return what belongs to me. If she won't give it back, then I'll just separate the two._ She left the corner and approached Sonic and Gwen, swaying her body as provocatively as she could. "Oh Sonic," she drawled, her hand on her hip.

He looked away from Gwen and cringed when he saw Amy. _Trouble coming._ "Amy," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just saving you from that bitch standing next to you," she replied, glaring at Gwen.

Gwen's jaw tightened. Nobody in their rightful mind would ever call her a bitch. "Whore," she seethed through her teeth.

Amy's eyes narrowed. "Lesbian hussy," she spat, even though it was pretty obvious by the way she was acting around Sonic that she was not homosexual. But the hussy part... _Maybe._

"Untrustworthy, double-crossing, two-faced conniving little TOE-RAG!" The words shocked Gwen more than they did either of the hedgehogs around her, but they tumbled out of her mouth from pure rage. She couldn't remember where she had heard that before, but she was sure it was in a movie or something. And she thought it was animated, and involved rats greatly interested in soccer and Tom Jones.

"Ladies, please," Sonic pleaded, putting his arms in between the two, who were stepping toward each other. "You're just adding fire to fire." He pressed them apart gently.

Amy looked down at where Sonic's arm had landed and fluttered inside with excitement. He was touching her breasts! "Oh Sonic," she sighed and grabbed his quills. She placed a big kiss on his cheek.

"Ugh," he yelled out, pushing her away and wiping his face off with his hands. He pulled a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer from his jacket and smeared it on his muzzle. With the alcohol in it so close to his eyes, they burned and stung, but he didn't care. He would rather have eyes that were watering like hell than the mark of Amy on his face.

Amy huffed. _That didn't work._ Then she grinned. _Time for my Rose magic_. Her "magic" was a little extreme for school, but she was sure it would work in this sticky situation. She was going to manipulate him, in her absolute favorite way. Her hand reached for his hips, fingers spread wide.

Sonic shivered in disgust and dodged past her. _Why the hell is she trying to use me as a plaything at SCHOOL?_

Amy frowned. "You don't want to?"

"HELL no, I don't want to!" Sonic said. "You know I don't like you, Amy."_ I'm downright scared of you!_

"I know you do in secret, Sonic," she seduced. She grasped his hand and held it close to her face, looking up at him from under thick black eyelashes. He didn't jerk it away. Not immediately, at least.

"Just go away, Amy," he said and ran off.

Amy grinned and looked at Gwen. "Finally I got him away from you."

By this point Gwen was so furious at her that she struck her across the face. "And you are HOW old?"

"Twelve," Amy said, her eyes watering. _That thief can slap HARD!_

"That's just not cool," Gwen said, somewhat stunned, but mostly angry. _Had Amy been able to touch him..._ She couldn't think of what would have happened next.

Amy's eyes reduced to slits. "You sound just like Sonic. It makes me pissed." Then she pranced off, in hopes that she would find her blue hero once more, hopefully alone in a private room. _After all, it's not like that's never happened before. _

Gwen sighed. She felt it was an extremely good thing that during the incident, the hallway had been empty.

Her mind wandered to the black and red hedgehog._ I wonder what Shadow really is that Knuckles didn't want me to know._

_

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_

And there you have it. What do YOU think Shadow is? ;)

R&R, if you please.

~GivenAnythingButLove


	3. A Watcher

I'm just gonna say that THIS CHAPTER SUCKKKKKKSSSSSSSS. Bad.

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Later at night, Gwen sat at her computer, mindlessly browsing through her Bookmarks menu to find something to look at. Nothing interested her.

Her mind kept replaying the scene from earlier that day and she shook her head, trying to see if it would go away. It never worked. She soon gave up on trying to avoid it and stared off into space, letting it play over and over again.

There was something seriously screwed up about those five minutes. It made her wonder if Amy had seduced Sonic like that before, and if she had ever succeeded in getting him to make love with her.

Her conscious was telling her, 'Many attempts at it, but never winning.'

She sighed. Amy was probably more experienced than she was, and two years younger, at that. _What the hell? Why does she think I like Sonic? _

This time she really tried hard to get the day out of her mind, and won the battle. Finally.

She looked down at her hand, which was holding a pencil above some paper. She didn't feel like drawing anything, though. Her natural talent was dormant.

She thought of later in the day, when the nightmare of school ended. She had seen Shadow, alone, sitting under a tree with a sketchbook. He had looked up at her and grinned, which shocked her. He then climbed up the tree he was sitting under, and she saw him no more.

Her eyes went back down to the paper and began doodling the hedgehog. The artistic talents she had were slowly awakening, then grinding harder until she was able to add the tiniest details and lines to her drawing.

She was proud of her finished results and carefully placed the picture in her collection of drawings.

Then she was bored again, and the perverted memories of Amy seeped into her brain, weaving it into a tight, uncomfortable knot. _So this is what 'being scarred' feels like. _

- - - - -

Right outside her window, somebody sat on the tree, in the darkness. Its face and body were concealed from the bright light of the full moon.

The smell coming from the open window was nearly irresistible, but the figure didn't lunge for the room. It slowly lifted its foot and stepped forward a few inches.

Snap!

Gwen looked out the window and thought she saw something move. She had heard a twig break. When she saw nothing, she shrugged her shoulders and ignored it. _Maybe it's just a bird building a nest. _

Invisible to her eyes, the figure had slipped back into the shadows, breathing heavily but quietly from shock. _She almost saw me. _It sighed. _Good god, it's just my luck that she didn't see me. _Its eyes closed as it slumped against the thick trunk.

Gwen closed the window. She was starting to get a bit cold in her thin black top and shorts, and she was barefoot. She sat at her computer again and pulled up Grooveshark, a music website. She typed slowly and sluggishly in the Search bar.

Every Time We Touch by Cascada.

The pop music soothed her and made her think of Sonic, which surprised her. They hadn't even held hands or anything. It fitted Amy better, except for her, reality was more extreme.

It was confusing her, and she wasn't really happy about that. She laughed to herself. _I'm getting tangled up in my own thoughts. _

The song soon ended, and she shut her computer down. She pulled a t-shirt from the back of her chair that was way too big for her. Anne had given it to Gwen to use as a sleep-shirt. It was white and was a picture of Napoleon Dynamite looking like an idiot. Gwen removed her clothes and slipped the shirt over her head. It reached past her thighs and she looked in the mirror. She looked like a hobo.

She turned out her light and crawled into her queen-size bed. She didn't notice the glowing red eyes outside her window as she drifted off into dreamland.

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I know, it's horrid. :P Still... R&R =)


	4. Sonic's Secret Place

I'm so nice ^_^ Because chapter three was so horrifying awful, I'm giving you chapter four ahead of time. This one is one of my favorites =D Here ya go!

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"Mornin', honey," Gwen's mother said in her Southern accent from the kitchen as Gwen lumbered down the stairs, already dressed in her dark green tank top and jeans. "You never told me how school went yesterday. How did it go?"

"I don't really feel like talking about it," Gwen said, for she was worried that what had haunted her dreams the night before would slip out.

Her mother shrugged. "Okay." She went back to pressing buttons on the coffee machine.

Gwen sighed internally in relief and grabbed an English muffin to eat on the way to school.

Minutes later, she was sprinting out her front door, her black bag swinging behind her and her dark red jacket flapping in the breeze.

She soon made it to her locker at school. She was earlier to school than she had been the day before, and it was much noisier and more chaotic. She saw Mobians tackling each other, throwing footballs, and making out left and right.

One particular couple drew great attention to themselves. Two echidnas, the male being smoky gray and the girl dark pink. She was surprised that the girl's super-thin body didn't snap in her boyfriend's muscular arms. They were French kissing.

Anne ran into the hall and skidded to a stop, staring at them. "Good GRIEF," she said.

"It disgusts me, too," Gwen replied without looking at her.

"PDA, much?" Anne joked.

Gwen laughed and turned to her locker. Luckily, the door wasn't jammed, and she opened it with ease. _Hopefully this will be a good day for me, without involving Amy trying to go at it with Sonic._

"Hey, Gwen."

Gwen recognized the voice and looked to her left. Sonic. "This your locker?"

"Yep," he replied. He grinned at her, teeth sparkling. "Hold out your hand."

She did as she was told, and Sonic pulled an ink pen from his pocket. He wrote some numbers in neat print. "Call me sometime."

Gwen blushed. Anne looked at the two of them and smiled. "I'll just leave you two alone, then," she said and ran down the hall to her locker.

"I hope you don't mind my thinking," Sonic said quietly. "But I think you have the most attractive body on the PLANET."

Gwen looked at herself, then back up at him; her cheeks were scarlet. "That was really... unexpected."

Sonic chuckled slightly. "I can't help it," he sighed. "Knuckles has way too many Playboy magazines lying around."

"Sonic!" Gwen cried, disapproving.

"Just kidding," he laughed, grinning. _She really does have a smokin' hot body. _

A shuddering moan of desire was heard and the two hedgehogs turned to the noise. It was the echidnas, who were slipping to the tile floor and earning many glares from students who nearly tripped over them. Sonic groaned. "Them again."

"Who are they?" Gwen asked.

"Star and Kratos, the most showoff-ish 18 year old couple in this region. They have made themselves quite known. They've had sex several times, and Star was pregnant at one point with Kratos's son."

"Nice." Her voice was quite sarcastic.

"Yeah. They've broken up and gotten back together too many times to count over the past four years. They just got back together again two days before you arrived here."

"They seem to be extremely turned-on at the moment."

"They always are. Whenever I look at them, one word pops into my head: annoying. They annoy the hell out of me."

The bell rang above their heads and Gwen grabbed her books for 1st period. Sonic put his bag in his locker and shut it. "Are you going to cut class?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sonic replied.

"Just wondering."

Sonic looked at the floor for a moment, then back at Gwen and smiled. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" Gwen asked, interested but hesitant and ready to cover her eyes if needed. _He might show me pornography, for all I know._

"It's a place I built for myself and my friends."

Gwen relaxed slightly. "Sure."

Sonic dug in his ear with his finger. "It's outside. You'll miss class."

"Oh. Then... I don't know."

Sonic smiled. "Come on. We won't be gone all day."

"Okay, I'll come." Gwen slammed down her conscious, which was screaming rational commands at her and followed him out the door.

- - - - -

They looked around after quietly shutting the door behind them. Sonic grabbed her hand and started running around the side of the building. "It's this way."

She was amazed at his speed. She knew he was known for it, but she was still shocked as she clung to his hand. The trees whipped past them and were gone before she saw them. The wind tugged at her quills and she saw Sonic was alive with excitement, grinning. "Where are we going?" she asked over the sound of the wind.

"My favorite hideout," he replied. He stopped, too soon to Gwen, and got down on his hands and knees next to a mound of dirt. He picked up handfuls of the soil and threw them behind him, uncovering a metal trapdoor right next to the building. He yanked up on the handle to open it and slid into the room below.

Gwen stood there, unsure of what to do next. Sonic's hand popped up out of the door and waved at her to come in. She slowly approached the door and slid into the room.

To her shock, Sonic was still standing under the door, and she collapsed on top of him, bringing them both to the floor. He laughed, unhurt. "That was fun," he said.

Gwen looked at him and was surprised at how close they were, their mouths centimeters apart. His green eyes were sparkling with a bright shine she had never seen before, but was very entrancing. Her eyes flickered down to his mouth, which was breathing a hot, faint mist into the air. It smelled sweet, like a tropical fruit. Then she remembered him throwing a mango peel in the trash can at the door before they left the school.

His thin lips were molded into a perfect elliptical shape. His tongue looked inviting, and his teeth seemed to say, "I won't bite."

They weren't dating, and she wasn't ready for a kiss, but his warm body was, strangely, quite comfortable. It weirded her out slightly, but she also liked it. She tried to get up, but his arm was around her waist, keeping her pinned down with the strong muscles. "Um, Sonic?"

"Whoops," he said, his cheeks flushing. "Sorry." _Oh my freaking God, my instincts are already driving me wild._ He pulled his arm away from her and she stood, brushing some dirt off of her jeans. He stood, looked at her, and smiled at her reaction to his hideout.

"WHOA!" she declared like a child with a nice Christmas present, looking around. "You made this?"

"Yeah," Sonic replied.

"It's incredible. For a room underground, anyway. I love it!"

The place had a couch, a little television set, a lamp, a small refrigerator, video games, and a bookshelf that was scarce. She noticed that everything was clean and dust-free. "You must spend a lot of time in here."

"It's where I go, every day," Sonic said, grinning at her. "I come here whenever I'm troubled, whether by Amy or by Doctor Ro-butt-nik. I'm glad he doesn't come around as much as he used to."

The name, though a funnier version than the original that she would remember for a long time, brought slight tears to Gwen's eyes. Sonic looked at her, genuine concern on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"My father was killed by the Doctor," she replied in a whisper. "It's one reason why I moved here. I can't bear to hear the Doctor's name."

Sonic's eyes widened and he walked to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry," he replied with no hint at joking. "Do you need a soda?"

Her tears streaked down her face. "Yes."

Sonic left her side and crossed the room to the fridge. Inside was Chaos Cola, Dr. Prower, and Knuckles-To-The-Face. He pulled out a Dr. Prower and opened it for her. Gwen had sat down on the couch, and he sat next to her, holding out the soda. She took it and chugged half of it. She put it down for a moment and hiccuped, making herself laugh.

"Feel better?" Sonic asked.

She opened her mouth to respond when they heard footsteps outside the door. Sonic was angry inside. _I wanted to be ALONE with her here. _

_

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So... R&R!! I'm not gonna stop asking =)


	5. What's Wrong With This Picture?

I'm sorry I took so long to update. I have most of the book written already, I just haven't gotten the chance to update it. So to those who I told I would update on Thursday and I didn't, I'm so sorry. I hope this chapter is alright for you.

* * *

Something red fell through the door and grunted, sprawled on the dirt floor. "So much for a happy landing."

"Knuckles?" Sonic said, eyes widening.

The red echidna straightened up and looked at them, nearly holding hands. "What's she doing here?"

"Sonic invited me," Gwen said. "He wanted to show me this place."

Knuckles grunted again. "Well... Sonic, I need to have a little talk with you."

"Okay," Sonic said, smiling._ Did he bring chilidogs with him? We're fresh out. _

Knuckles roughly grasped his arm and Sonic winced. He dragged the now scared blue hedgehog to the corner of the room.

Though Gwen knew it was considered rude to eavesdrop, she kept her ears pricked up to listen.

She didn't have to. Knuckles was screaming at Sonic about five octaves louder than necessary and had pinned him against the wall. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU EAT MY CHEESECAKE?!"

"What do you mean, eat your cheesecake?" Sonic asked, meek.

"I TOLD YOU SPECIFICALLY NOT TO EAT THE CHEESECAKE! WHY DID YOU EAT IT?!"

Sonic gulped. "I'm sorry, Knuckles, but... I'm a huge fan of your mum's cheesecake. I can't help it."

Knuckles growled. "God damn it, Sonic. That was meant for someone else, not for you. Now I'll have to get my mum to make a new cheesecake." He sighed. "You know how stubborn she is. She won't do it without some persuading. Asshole."

Sonic's ears flattened against his head and his eyelids dropped slightly. He had been called that before, but it still pissed him off. It felt worse in front of Gwen. "Okay, I get it. I'm an idiot, a screw-up, and a moron. Can you let me go?"

He dropped to the floor as Knuckles removed his hands. "Don't eat the cheesecake again."

"I know!" Sonic snapped at him.

"Good," Knuckles said brightly, smiling. He then turned to Gwen. "Tell Anne I said hi, Gwen."

"Can do," she replied, hiding laughter. Inside, she was singing "Here Comes the Bride" with an image of Knuckles and Anne walking down the aisle. She had a feeling the oh-so-important cheesecake was for her dear echidna friend.

Knuckles put a wooden stool under the trapdoor and climbed out with ease.

"So, Sonic," Gwen said. "You like cheesecake?"

"Yeah," Sonic said, flushing and rubbing his arms where he had been hurt. "Knuckles's mum makes cheesecake like none other."

"And does Knuckles just drop in like that often to pester you about it?"

"No, but that cheesecake was so good."

They looked at each other for a minute, then burst out laughing for no reason.

Just outside, a black and red hedgehog lurked, staring into the room and seeing the happy hedgehogs giggle. Shadow's maroon eyes flashed. _So she talks with the blue one extravagantly. No matter. I will soon make myself known to her._ He stood and ran several feet away.

Sonic and Gwen's laughter soon died out, and Sonic stood. "Wanna come to another hideout of mine?"

"Of course," Gwen replied, smiling. She watched him walk to the stool and lift himself out of the room. He looked in and waved at her to come. She stepped onto the stool and grabbed his hand as he pulled her out.

Seconds later, they were standing on solid ground again. Sonic took her hand and grinned. "Shall we?" he asked, feigning an incredible English accent.

"Take me to this place," Gwen said in an equally English tone. Sonic grinned again and propelled forward, taking Gwen off her feet.

Shadow stood under a tree close by, and started running behind them.

"Sonic, Shadow's behind us," Gwen said, looking at him.

Sonic looked and his eyes narrowed. He pushed himself faster, but Shadow kept up with him easily. Little bursts of sparks appeared under his feet occasionally. "No fair," Sonic said. "You've got rocket boots on."

"So what?" Shadow drawled; his voice was mocking, seductive, and sounded of angels. Gwen felt drawn to it as if she was an insect and Shadow was honey.

"So I've got no advantage, for God's sake," Sonic cried out. "I'm toting my friend behind me. I'm talking to you. And YOU'RE GETTING AHEAD!" He sprinted harder.

Shadow frowned as he slowed down slightly so he and Sonic were at the same pace. "So then give me the girl. Then I'll slow down, and you may get ahead of me."

"Hate the idea of handing her off, but I've got no choice," Sonic said and slung his arm that was holding Gwen. She landed on Shadow's back.

"There, was that so hard?" Shadow asked.

Even then, Shadow was faster. He skated on his boots with ease, barely breathing. Sonic was panting and lagging behind. "What the hell, man?!" Sonic yelled. "Is this some kind of funny joke?"

"It's funny to me," Shadow responded. He shot forward with a burst of speed and was out of earshot of Sonic.

"Bastard!" Sonic shouted.

Shadow just smiled and shifted Gwen so that she wasn't quite so close to his extremely sharp back quills, which had a diluted poison in them. He became worried that she could get cut so he ended up lifting her off of his back and carrying her bridal style in front of him. He didn't notice her wide eyes, but kept running. After a few quiet minutes, he looked down at her and smiled again. "Hello. What's your name?"

"Gwen," she replied softly.

_Gwen. What a nice name._ "What do you think of this place?"

"This section of Mobius?"

"Yeah."

"I like it. It's much better than South-Eastern Mobius."

"Shadow!" Sonic screamed. "You missed the finish line!"

Shadow groaned in exasperation, but to Gwen it sounded like a moan from someone who was having a successful orgasm. _Whoa, where'd that come from?_ she asked herself. She was shaken from her extremely unnerving thought as Shadow made a graceful U-turn and ran back another 200 feet to Sonic, who was breathing quite heavily and drenched in sweat. When he saw Shadow, he stuck up his middle finger.

Shadow grinned as he set Gwen on the ground. "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. Either way, you're royally screwed by Satan himself, up the ass." He breathed in between his teeth, making a hissing noise. "Ouch, that has GOT to hurt. Imagine it. Satan's pretty scaly, and I imagine he would be scaly all over. Can you imagine scales up your ASS?"

"Shut the hell up," Sonic said, obviously not liking the idea.

"Aw, is the Sonic boy distressed?" Shadow mocked.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"I'd rather go to Hell than be in Heaven anywhere close to you."

"So?"

"I'm happy to be an Atheist, and I'm perfectly okay if you're a Christian."

"HOW THE HELL AM I A CHRISTIAN?" Sonic was getting really worked up. He always hated it when Shadow was around.

"I dunno," Shadow replied, shrugging. "But I'm starting to reconsider that fact."

"Why would you do that?"

"You cuss as much as I do, probably more. Isn't that a Commandment or something? 'Don't use foul language'?"

"You are such a dick. I don't give a shit about the Ten Commandments and I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Ha! Then you must not be a Christian!"

"Do you have some duct tape I can slap on your face so you will just shut up!"

Gwen's eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them. She almost couldn't tell who was acting more childish_. Probably Sonic._

"Does Sonic need a kiss to keep his mouth shut?" With these words, Shadow picked Gwen up off of the ground and gently pushed her towards him. She looked back at him in surprise and he smiled. "Go on. Kiss him."

Sonic looked up from the ground and up at Gwen. _Good God. If Shadow knows one weakness of mine besides my fear of water, it's my fear of girls. However..._ She glanced up at him shyly, embarrassed, from underneath long eyelashes. _DAMN, she's adorable._ Summoning up some courage, he took a small step forward to do what he'd wanted to do for a while now.

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and hoped for the best.

Shadow watched Gwen, frozen stiff, as Sonic approached her, mouth slightly open. It looked hysterical, and he had to keep himself from laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. There was something seriously wrong with this picture. Most girls would commit homicide to be in Gwen's position.

Sonic soon met Gwen, and his lips pressed against hers. They molded to hers in a perfect shape, and his tongue took on a mind of its own, sliding across her lower lip and leaving a cool, wet trail. His arms wrapped around her and unconsciously slid down to her ass, giving her a squeeze.

She gasped and jumped away, covering her lips with one hand and where Sonic had touched her with the other. She felt as if he had electrocuted her. _What is going on? They had better just be messing around._

Shadow let out a slight chuckle. "That's all he needed was a little nudging." He sprinted away from the scene, and Gwen soon disappeared in another direction, hiding her face in embarrassment, leaving Sonic standing alone. _Did... did I just make a complete fool of myself? _

_Yep,_ he answered to himself.

* * *

And that's chapter five. R&R, and thanks!

~GABL


	6. I Bet You're Naked

I needed to update, so here's chapter six XD

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That had definitely not been Gwen's choice for a first kiss scenario. But, she looked at it this way: if this was the way fate was going to play, then fine. It was better than having her first kiss be by a guy who was about to rape her.

She looked down at herself as the steaming water trickled down her face and into her eyes. It was night once more, and she thought a hot shower might untangle her nerves from the kiss. It was helping her; it was soothing, and amazingly it took her mind off of the way Sonic had looked after she had pulled away: hurt, and in disbelief.

She thought of what Sonic had said earlier, about her being attractive. _What does he find attractive about me?_

She gave herself a one-over, and her chest answered her question. "What a pervert," she growled to herself.

Gwen's breasts had always embarrassed her, along with all the other physical changes in her adolescence, and she wasn't happy with wearing supportive bras since the age of 9. It got unwanted attention from most of her friends. It made no sense to her that her friends were envious. Keeping up with her boobs-not to mention her bras-was a right pain in the...

"Gwen, someone's on the phone to speak to you," her mother's voice rang through the house.

"Tell them I'll be down in just a moment," Gwen replied, rinsing the last of the bubbles out of her quills.

Five minutes later, she was out of the shower, with dry quills and skin, and a towel wrapped around her; her Napoleon shirt was in the washing machine after a juice spill, but it would be done soon. She skipped down the stairs to her mother, who was holding the phone out to her with a smile. Her mother mouthed, "It's a boy."

There was only one guy Gwen knew who she had given her number to, and she ran back upstairs to her room and closed the door before putting the phone to her ear. "Sonic?"

"Hey, Gwen," he replied. His voice was clear of any uncertainty, as if the humiliating actions from earlier hadn't occurred. But on the other line, he was shaking from nerves and nearly dropping the phone.

"I didn't think you would call," Gwen said.

"I have my moments... occasionally."

"So you're not... upset... about earlier today?"

"Hell yeah I am. I'm just not letting it stop me from talking to you."

A worried crease appeared between Gwen's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Gwen, don't fret about it. It was a dare. It wasn't technically your fault. However, if I were you, I'd go and have a talk with that Shadow tomorrow."

"Why don't you go talk to him yourself?"

"We're enemies. I can't just do that."

"So hold off on the grudge for a while." Gwen paused. "What do you have against each other, anyway?"

She could almost see Sonic shrug on the other line. "Personal reasons, nothing major."

"Come on, tell me." She was starting to tease him.

Sonic's voice took on a childish tone. "Nuh-uh. I don't wanna."

"Okay, okay, I won't pester you about it." She laughed. Sonic laughed with her. She felt totally comfortable talking to him over the phone. It was better to not be able to see his face.

"I'm changing the subject. What are you wearing?"

Gwen looked down at her bath towel, which was loosely fastened with a clip so that she didn't have to hold it. "I'd really prefer not answering that question."

On the other line, Sonic grinned. "I bet you're naked." When she didn't say anything, he continued. "You must be naked. You're so quiet."

Gwen frowned in disapproval. "I don't want to know what you're thinking, but it had better not be disgusting."

He laughed. "Maybe it is, maybe it's not. Either way, I'd never tell you unless I felt like it."

"You are such a perverted flirt."

"I know."

Gwen heard shuffling downstairs and remembered her mother. She panicked slightly; they had more than one phone, and her mom could be listening to every word. She knew it was paranoid to think so, but what Sonic was talking about was too extreme for any mother of a young teenage girl to take lightly. She peeked out of her room and down the stairs to where they kept the other phone. It was still there, on its charger. She sighed internally in relief, and gave Sonic her cell phone number so that he wouldn't call her home phone again.

Gwen glanced around the room and her eyes fell on her bookbag. She chuckled slightly. "I haven't finished my homework yet."

"Oh. Well I guess you'll be going then."

"Yeah."

"Okay, so I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure. I love talking to you."

Sonic grinned. "I do, too. Bye, Gwen."

"Bye Sonic." She pressed the End button and sighed, her head flopping back and making contact with the wall. In a way, she wanted to let the conversation go on longer, but in another, she knew she had other things that had to be done. To start she found her freshly clean shirt and put it on, along with a pair of blue stretch cotton shorts, then started her homework. It didn't hold her interest for long, however, so she turned up some rock music on her iPod. She noted that her mother had used her favorite lavender detergent in the laundry and she smiled as she inhaled the sweet scent of her shirt. Then "Monster" came on, and she ended up dancing and jumping around her room to the extremely catchy beat, using a hairbrush as a microphone to the rest of the album, as well.

Her homework never got done, and she knew as her curfew drew closer that she would have to do it in homeroom. She wiped a drip of sweat off of her forehead. She was wore out from dancing so much and flopped on her bed. She immediately passed out and slept dead through the night.

- - - - -

The figure with glowing eyes who had watched her the night before now crept up the tree to see how she was doing again. When it saw that she was asleep and had left her room disarrayed, it tiptoed to the edge of the branch and leapt lithely into the room through the window, barely shaking anything. It straightened up and looked around the room. It flipped the light switch off, turned off the computer and her iPod player, collected all of her books, papers, and pencils, and put them into her school bag. For a finishing touch, it turned on a soft nightlight next to her bed.

Gwen was stretched across the bed at an angle, and when the figure noticed, it picked her up very gently and placed her with her head on the pillow, draping her blankets over her. It stared at her with its burning red eyes, unable to look away from the beauty of her peaceful face.

It forced itself to turn away after several minutes and crept out of the room, leaping into the tree from the window.

As it flew through the air, the moonlight glowed on it briefly. If anyone had seen the figure-which was impossible-they would have seen a male hedgehog with ebony quills with crimson stripes. If anyone had known that hedgehog, they would have known that he went by the name of Shadow.

That night, Shadow and Gwen both dreamed of each other. For one, it was a beautiful nightmare. For the other, it was a strange, realistic dream.

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So... leave your thoughts, ideas, and comments by pressing R&R, if you would!!! I grin whenever I get a new review =D

~GABL


	7. What A Sight For Sore Eyes

I'm being nice and uploading two chapters today. I really like this one, but it's not quite my favorite. Oh, what am I saying, just read the damn thing =)

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Gwen had the latter scenario that night.

She saw Shadow standing in a blue ocean with a gold sunrise behind him. He bore no shirt, and his strong abdominal muscles screamed "I LOVE TO BE STARED AT!". He was slightly above waist deep in the swirling water, which crashed against his back but never took him down with the waves. Gwen couldn't tell if he was wearing anything else, and that was interesting in a sick way.

She was in the dream, too. She stood on the sand in front of him, clad in her favorite red string bikini with a low neckline. If it had been a girl standing across from her, she wouldn't have felt uncomfortable, but with Shadow there, she felt slightly body conscious. She wanted her T-shirt. She wanted to be covered. He slowly approached her, taking one slow step after another through the churning froth. After just a few steps, it was extremely apparent he had no briefs, and Gwen looked away from him to be polite. _This is like some bad TV show._ She felt a finger touch her shoulder and she looked up. Shadow was standing directly in front of her, and he had a slight smile on his face. She did her best to not look down, but at his face. His unusual ruby eyes were kind, sincere, and they remained on her face as well, not lingering on her body, like most boys she knew back at her old home would do.

Both of their heads snapped to Gwen's right as they heard a loud BOOM. It was Sonic, blasting toward them at full speed. He had no clothes, either. Sonic reached Gwen and threw his arms around her, spinning her around like a young child and laughing. She flailed her arms and cried, "Sonic, stop!"

He put her down after a few more swirls, then pressed his mouth hungrily to hers. It was such a violent, unexpected kiss and such a sudden change from his previously childish behavior that Gwen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His tongue made itself at home in her mouth. It felt so real. It was warm... wet... and oddly comforting. She was beginning to relax, and she grew slightly limp in his arms.

It was when he smashed her body against him that she started feeling strange. She felt uncomfortable as her barely covered vagina pressed against his naked hips. She felt something touch the inside of her thigh; she knew what it was, and she was desperate not to think of it. The most embarrassing part to her was that Shadow was standing just 3 feet away and able to see everything. She couldn't even see his face and couldn't tell if he was laughing. All she could hear was Sonic's ragged breathing and her heartbeat pounding like a base drum in her ears. Her bikini top fell to the ground just as she woke up.

She reached under the edge of the blanket, which she didn't remember covering herself with, to make sure she was still wearing clothes. She was. That was weird. _Is my dream trying to tell me something?_ She wanted to forget her unnerving dream as she looked through her closet, pulling out and throwing on a top and jeans without looking at them.

When she asked her mom if she had been in her room last night, her mom blinked, slightly confused. "No, dear, I don't believe I was. Why do you ask? Is something missing?"

"No," Gwen said in between nibbles of an apple. "Actually all of my stuff was neat and organized, and I don't remember cleaning it."

Her mom shrugged. "Maybe I'm sleepwalking again." She went back to washing the dishes as her daughter raced out the door with barely a goodbye. She shook her head and smiled slightly to herself. _She's a busy girl, always on the move._

The morning air cleared Gwen's head as she got closer to the school. She met Anne, who was taking a mini-rest on the side of the road, and sat down next to her. "Hey."

"Hey, Gwen." She was looking at her fingernails, which were starting to chip again. _I'll paint them later tonight. _

Gwen decided telling Anne wouldn't hurt. It would have eventually slipped, anyway. "I had one of the weirdest dreams last night."

Anne looked up. "How weird?"

"Definitely strange." Gwen took a deep breath, then continued.

After a couple of minutes, Anne slowly shook her head. "Only you. Only you would have dreams like this."

"I'm not done yet!" Gwen said. "Sonic hugs me really tight, then starts kissing me HARD. We were smashed together like this." She pressed her hands together in a prayer pose.

Anne's eyes were wide. "And Sonic was naked." She meant it as a statement.

"Yes."

"Did he... you know... try something on you?"

Gwen thought for a moment. Then she remembered. "He took my bikini top off. The dream ended there."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my God!" Anne semi-squealed. "You're totally in love with Sonic."

Gwen shushed her; she definitely didn't want anyone to hear them. "No I'm not. I think I would daydream about him more often if I liked him."

"Regardless, if you're having oh-so-close-to-going-at-it dreams like this with a guy, your conscious is telling you that you're in love."

Gwen mused over Anne's logic. It really pissed her off when it made sense.

Her watch alarm beeped at her and let her know that they only had 15 minutes until the bell rang. She and Anne jumped up and sprinted to their lockers. As they ran, a song by Lady Gaga began to play itself through Gwen's mind. The lyrics of one of the more perverted parts of the song reminded her of the dream.

"_I can see you staring there from across the block with a smile on your mouth and your hand on your HUH. The story of us it always starts the same with a boy and a girl and a HUH and a game." _

Gwen hoped this didn't turn true. The last thing she needed at 14 years of age-barely the legal age for marriage and pregnancy-was for her life to turn into a "Love Game": full of sex, money, and gentle-to-rough touches in places that are much better to just be left untouched at her age, like her breasts and butt. But she let herself fantasize of it... occasionally.

- - - - -

Gwen was pulling her books from her bag as Sonic seemed to materialize next to her. She glanced in his direction. She didn't try to talk. She'd let him do that for a few minutes while she kept herself from telling him, too.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "I'm glad I got to talk to you on the phone yesterday. I hope it didn't get weird for you or anything. I mean, you sounded like you were okay with... my comments, but I couldn't help wondering." He paused for a moment, and looked slightly nervous. "And also... I never got to ask you something."

Gwen looked up at him, carefully avoiding looking at anything except for his eyes. She didn't want to fantasize about him at the moment, not when he was talking. "Ask away," she led on, smiling.

He fidgeted with his gloves and his ears were unusually flat. He tripped over his words. "I was wondering if you would... if you would..."

Gwen put the last book in her locker and turned to face him. "Yes?" He didn't say anything for a moment. "Go on."

It all came out in one expulsion of air, jumbled up and bunched together, and he had to take a few deep breaths before he could feel his chest loosen.

Gwen hadn't heard but two or three words. "Excuse me?"

Sonic took a last shuddering breath and looked directly into Gwen's eyes, sudden confidence dancing in them. His words were now clear as a freshly cleaned window. "I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me."

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I know: OH MY FREAKING GOD. LMAO! Anyway, R&R ^w^ ~ GABL


	8. No Pressure?

**Okay, I know, I know... it's been a while. But here's chapter eight. It's lame. So lame... goddamn it, I can't write!!! ****

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**

Sonic was at his computer in his room, randomly pressing letters in Microsoft Word to see what crazy sentences came out of it. It usually relaxed him and even made him laugh, especially if the words were vulgar or made no sense whatsoever, but now it gave no rest. He was still jittery about Gwen's response to his request.

No, it hadn't been that she refused. In fact, she had said yes. It was that he hadn't expected her to accept his offer. He had no experience with dating, just the unexplainable urges to strip Gwen naked and have some serious love time with her.

He blamed it on his crazy hormones. They always acted up a few months before March.

He sighed as he remembered March. While it was a gorgeous time of the year-the flowers were blooming and the trees were growing new buds, the perfect places to run around in-it was also the time when hedgehogs mate. He would be ripping and clawing for any girl who gave off whatever crazy gland they had. He was always in a frenzy, and it took both Knuckles and Tails to hold him back half the time whenever they went out to eat or something. He envied Silver for being able to at least semi-control himself around Blaze.

He was extremely grateful that, for this reason, school was closed down all month for March.

His cell phone buzzed as he received a text message. It was from Knuckles.

KNUCKLES: hey dude, u asked her yet?

SONIC: yeah, she sed yes.

He could picture Knuckles falling off of his chair in shock.

KNUCKLES: holy shit, really?!

SONIC: really.

KNUCKLES: wh00p, wh00p, big fiesta! got 2 tell tailz. u want a bud light?

SONIC: this is not a bachelor party, do NOT rip out the drinks.

KNUCKLES: y not, sonic? u finally snagged her. THAT is sumthin to celebr8, & da best way to celebr8 is wit drinking.

SONIC: no its not.

KNUCKLES: wut, now u gonna dump me? ok, i go cry now... Jk :D

SONIC: not funny -_-'

KNUCKLES: so u gonna drink or not?!

Sonic stared at Knuckles's pressuring text message. He knew it was better to avoid drinking-it was really bad for your brain and kidneys, he knew-but this was his friend talking here... his friend who had more experience with beer than any other teenager around. He had been arrested on multiple occasions. He wasn't a really good influence, but an amazing bodyguard when Amy was around, if a short-fused blockhead sometimes. And he was definitely a blockhead when it came to beer.

SONIC: No, i wont drink.

There was a pause in the chain of messages for a few minutes. Then:

KNUCKLES: :( fine. i'll keep it for myself. i'm telling tailz bout ur victory.

A minute later, Sonic got a text message from his two-tailed fox friend.

TAILS: Hey man, heard about you and Gwen.

SONIC: yeah.

TAILS: Congratulations :)

SONIC: thx.

TAILS: Why are you so listless? Is something bothering you?

SONIC: just knux and his drinking habits.

TAILS: Ah. Avoid him when he gets into that mode, it's what I do.

Sonic had been doing that. Knuckles was like a brick wall, though. Hard to get around, and very stubborn. He decided a change of subject would be best.

SONIC: i dont know what to do about my date...

TAILS: When is it?

SONIC: tonight, 7.

TAILS: Oh good, you still have a couple of hours.

SONIC: i wish i had a couple of YEARS.

TAILS: Haha :) Where are you two going?

Sonic thought for a moment as he tried to remember the name of the place. He couldn't pull it from his memory, though.

SONIC: its that french place across from the mobian bank...? sorry, brainfart :P

TAILS: The French Cafe?

Sonic banged his forehead repeatedly against his desk in amazement. Here he was, thinking it was something long and complicated with all those weird looking French markings above the letters, and the name is The French Cafe_. How nice. _

SONIC: well DAMN, now i feel like a complete idiot :|

TAILS: No worries :) I'm used to it.

SONIC: gee, thx... oh good god, i am so nervous... tails old buddy, i need a bit of advice.

TAILS: I'm all ears :)

SONIC: what do u do on ur dates w/ cosmo? or 'cozzie', i should say :D

TAILS: Haha, very funny :P Cosmo and I usually talk about anything but work. We keep it fun and simple. When we're not talking, we're at the water park.

SONIC: does she sit on ur back and use u as a propeller-motorboat-thing when you're in the lazy river? lol

TAILS: No, though that does sound like a fun idea, now that you mention it. I'll have to keep that in mind.

SONIC: wow, y do i feel like a genius now? XD

TAILS: Haha! Oh, I got to go, Cosmo just arrived.

SONIC: have a nice time ;) say hi 4 me

TAILS: Can do.

Sonic thought about last time he had been to Tails's house when Cosmo came over. She pecked Tails on the cheek, and he had smiled and given her a huge kiss on the lips. That's when Sonic left Tails's house for the day. He'd already been there for too long, anyway.

He was still jittery about the date. _Why should I feel confident? Why should I look perfect? Why? Why? Why? _

His head was in his hands and he stared down at his shoes. He lifted his eyes and stared across the room where an old drawing Tails had made for him was pinned to the wall. In it, he and Sonic were holding hands and above their heads were the words, "Be true to yourself and I'll be your friend for life." scrawled in childish script. _The same rules apply to Gwen, _he realized.

A wave of confidence washed over him._ I can do this.

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_

Yeah this chapter SUUUUUUUUUCKS. But... R&R. Please!

~ GABL


	9. Ideal First Date

This one may make up for teh suckiness of chapter eight 8D

* * *

Anne and Gwen were sitting on the floor of Gwen's room with a few pieces of paper in front of them. Anne knew exactly what she was doing; but she hadn't explained it to Gwen yet. "What the hell is this?" she asked.

"You'll see," Anne told her. She turned over the papers. "They're tips and rules for a first date. I copied them from a dating website. Now, which ones do you want to look at first?"

Gwen groaned. "Anne... honestly. I don't think I would need to be tutored on this like we're in school or something."

"Yes, you do, honey. You've obviously never gone on a date, so you need to know how it goes."

"Okay, okay..."

For the next hour-though it felt like a day to Gwen-they reviewed what to say, how to act, what to eat, and what to do if he doesn't have enough money to pay. Anne had brought Gwen a new clutch bag specifically for when she was out on a date. It was coal black with a little light blue bow on it. Gwen liked it enormously and shoved all of her cash and cards in it without delay. It felt at home in her hands.

Then Anne had to help Gwen find an outfit. This was when things went a little crazy. "Do you think this top or THIS top?" Gwen asked, holding a white one-shoulder tank in one hand and a black short sleeved turtleneck in the other.

"Neither," Anne said. "They both make your head look large for your body. Maybe this one instead?" She pulled out a long sleeved red shirt... with a V neck.

"NO. That cut is way too deep for a first date."

"So? It's not like he's gonna be staring at you."

"You have no idea where his eyes wander occasionally. Or where ANYONE'S eyes wander, for that matter."

Anne burst into giggles. "Just wear the shirt, it'll look amazing on you. And put this on, too." She threw the red top at her and a black leather skirt.

"Well I can trust your fashion eye more than I can mine," Gwen gave in. She stripped to her underwear and put the clothes on. They stuck to her curves like glue. _I am definitely bringing a jacket with me._ "Well?"

"Awesome," Anne said, stepping back as if to get a better look. "That shirt looks amazing. The tones of your skin bring out the cleavage and make it stand out." A pillow hit her smack in the nose. "KIDDING. The skirt is long enough to keep you sane, but short enough to scream, 'DARING.'"

"Gee, thanks," Gwen said.

A whistle was heard outside and Anne looked out the window. "Blue speed demon at your door!"

Gwen grabbed a black leather jacket-she might as well match-and gave her friend a quick hug. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Anne giggled. Gwen was already out of the room and running down the stairs, slipping her arms into her jacket and zipping it up as she ran. She was so glad her mother was still at work.

Right outside Gwen's house, Sonic stood dressed in a pair of black jeans and a dark jacket. Finally the front door opened and Gwen ran up to him. _We match,_ he laughed to himself. _How cute is THAT?_ "Hey!" he grinned. "Nice outfit."

Gwen looked at herself, then at him. She began to giggle. " We're both in black. What a coincidence."

"Yes, definitely. Do you mind running? I don't have a car."

"I don't mind at all," she said, smiling.

Sonic took her hand and sprinted for The French Cafe. This time, Gwen ran with him and tried to keep up. She couldn't match his speed, but it was much easier than carrying her, though he didn't comment on it. It wasn't really something he felt he could laugh about.

In less than a minute, they had reached The French Cafe. Gwen's eyes widened as she stared up at the sign. Her mother always raved about the food at this place whenever she went.

"I thought it would be sweet if I took you to a nicer place," Sonic explained, smiling. "At least the prices aren't TOO bad."

"I agree, it is very sweet," Gwen said softly, looking up at him. He met her eyes and they both grinned. He took her hand and, with as much grace as he could summon from himself, led her into the restaurant.

A grand piano sat in the corner with a chameleon playing delicate melodies. A beautiful yellow cat with a uniform of a knee length navy skirt and lacy black shortsleeved blouse smiled at them from behind a small podium. "Welcome to the French Cafe," she greeted them in a soft French accent. "There is just two of you?"

"Yes ma'am," Gwen answered politely.

The hostess nodded and wrote something on a pad of paper. After a second, she rang a tiny glass bell and a dark gray cat in the same uniform appeared. "Oh, ils sont juste de très jolis date de peu, n'est-ce pas?" the hostess muttered to her,and they smiled. Sonic did, as well. The dark gray cat took two menus and waved slightly for Sonic and Gwen to follow her. "I'll take you to your table."

Moments later, after weaving through the multiple circular tables with white tablecloths, they reached a secluded table next to the glass window that overlooked the night time city. "A lady will be here for your orders in just a few minutes," the cat said, smiling.

Sonic nodded, his lips pressed together to conceal a smile. Gwen looked at him in question as she took off her jacket and draped it over the back of her chair. It was quite warm in the cafe. "What were they talking about that you found amusing?"

"Oh, nothing," Sonic said, shrugging out of his black coat. Underneath he wore a white blazer that clung to his lean muscle, and Gwen found herself looking at him. Sonic found himself doing the same. "Nice shirt," he grinned.

Gwen looked down, then up at him. She hid herself behind a menu. "It wasn't my idea."

Sonic chuckled. "Whose was it, then?"

"Anne's," Gwen replied in disgust, earning another chuckle from Sonic. "Why won't you tell me what they said? I don't understand French."

Sonic leaned across the table, a grin spread across his mouth. "Well I do. They said we look like a cute date, and personally I agree."

Gwen felt her face grow warm instantaneously as she looked at him over the top of her menu, giving him a slight smile. _I'm glad I'm here. _

In between the times when they ordered and received their drinks and dinner, they chatted about dumb school, and their hopes and dreams for the future.

Gwen told Sonic of her father: the way he used to throw her into the air and catch her, the ridiculous songs he improvised as he danced around the kitchen, and the good food he prepared. She managed to talk about him without crying, and this made both of them smile.

She felt comfortable with Sonic. It wasn't a romantic love from her side, but a friendship love. She was very good friends with Sonic, and knew she could count on him to lend a shoulder to cry on if she ever needed one, even though they had kissed that one time. She had a sense that Sonic was in love with her, though. Very deeply in love with her. She didn't feel bad about not feeling the same way, but she knew she didn't have much to give him in return. She barely had a family, her home was small, and she wasn't rich. Plus, she felt their connection was based solely on friendship.

Sonic, sitting across the table from her, smiled as he took another bite of his Greek salad and looked into her beautiful eyes. The chocolate brown color was entrancing, and almost took his mind away from his meal. Even though he didn't know what she was thinking, he could guess she had figured out he liked her. A lot. Way too much for a 15 year old hedgehog to like a 14 year old one. As he chewed, more inappropriate thoughts ran through his head and reminded him of March, almost making him grin_. It will come soon. _

- - - - -

Sonic skidded to a stop outside Gwen's home, Gwen next to him. He looked at her, in her unzipped jacket, and got a glance down the front of her shirt. As soon as she looked at him, he met her eyes, not wishing to get caught again.

"I had a nice time," she said softly, blushing. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't know how it would turn out, but I liked it."

"I did, too," Sonic smiled. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze.

Gwen remembered her dream from the night before, and was reminded of Sonic's frenzied behavior in it. But this hug wasn't rough or sexual. It was a loose, comfortable embrace. She savored this one more.

"Does your mom know that you're out?" Sonic asked quietly.

"No. You should go," Gwen replied, feeling slightly embarrassed about it.

Sonic squeezed her slightly tighter and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. Unlike their first kiss, this one was all his own idea. "Then I'll see you tomorrow?" He rubbed his nose against her soft muzzle.

Gwen was only taken aback for a second, then she put her hands around his neck and kissed his muzzle. "Yes." He turned pink and she giggled. "You're blushing."

He looked away from her eyes. "I know." He felt his muzzle where she had kissed him. He looked at her again and smiled. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"You just made my day a whole lot brighter."

Gwen smiled and waved as Sonic ran into the darkness.

But for another hedgehog she knew, his day had been anything but bright.

* * *

Dun-dun-DUNNNN. LMAO 8D R&R

~ GABL


	10. F Bombs and Tears

This was originally 2 chapters, but I smushed them together since I didn't know what else to do "^_^ Anyway.... here you go..... this one is realllly long :D

* * *

While Gwen had been about her day thinking of her strange dream, out on her date with Sonic, and sharing kisses with him, Shadow had skipped school and been lying in bed, thinking. It had started with his nightmare from early that morning.

_In it, he was looking down at a midnight forest from in the leaves and branches of the trees. The trunks were old-looking and twisted, like a forest filled with dark magic in a fairy tale._

_Gwen stood alone in this forest. Her eyes were wide and frightened. She didn't want to be there at all. It was quite apparent._

_A deep, burning sensation rumbling in Shadow's throat caused him to utter a horrid growl that made Gwen tense up more. She tried to slink away from him, with his frightening red eyes that glowed brightly. "No," she whispered._

_"Yes," he drawled, his seductive voice heightening to maximum power. He dropped from the tree to stand in front of her and reached out, fingers spread, to place his hand against her pale face. "Just don't look."_

_Gwen had no idea what he would be talking about, and she shut her eyes tightly. Shadow's mouth approached her neck, teeth sparkling and coated with deadly venom. They slowly pierced her skin and the blood of he girl he loved flowed onto his tongue as she released an earsplitting scream._

Shadow's eyes burst open and saw darkness as he gasped for air. He realized that his face was buried in the pillow, and that it was wet with his venomous saliva. And was that foam and... feathers he tasted?

He sat up in his bed. The moon shone brightly onto him as he tried to catch his breath. Calm down, Shadow. It was just a nightmare. He felt feathers sticking to his quills, and got out of his bed to see what was so feathery.

What he wasn't expecting to see was a shredded quilt, a demolished feather pillow, and a ruined foam mattress where it appeared as if he had bitten chunks out of it in his sleep. He probably had, and had bitten everything else along with it. He shook his head in amazement and proceeded to collect the pieces of quilt, which he would sew back together when he got the feathers cleaned up.

After he finished getting the quilt up, he went into the bathroom and turned on the light to see how bad he looked. He didn't actually look too horrible-just a bunch of feathers stuck to his elegant quills. Besides that, he looked like a normal guy hedgehog with red eyes and only wearing a pair of briefs.

But he noticed something about the briefs. They looked much darker in the front. He slowly reached down and touched the dark area lightly. It was cold and slimy. He put those fingers in his mouth, just curious to see if he could identify the slime by taste.

He was no rocket scientist, but he could definitely tell it wasn't water, urine, blood, or his venom. It was bitter. It was familiar... _but how?_

Suddenly it came to him-beginning at 12 and 13 in his 'normal' years, he started having erections, and this slime was coming from his penis. It had pretty much gone away after he was transformed at 15. And now it was back... back after he had dreamt of the girl he was in love with. Back just a couple of weeks before the Time.

There was only one explanation of what the slime could be. Semen.

Three words that Shadow had vowed himself to avoid saying aloud, but that he had thought many times, came out of his mouth.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

He disregarded his swearing and slid down against the wall, wringing his quills in his hands. What was he going to do now? Just leave Gwen alone?

But he couldn't. March was approaching, and he had been planning on using her as his mate for a sex ceremony. No one else appealed to him as much as she did, and if he didn't get the built-up sperm out of his body, he'd truly go insane from the feeling.

And now he knew he could father a child. Would this affect Gwen's decision? Would she still sneak glances at him whenever she could? Would she still want to talk to him?

Now Shadow was getting pissed with himself_. What am I going to do now?_

After sitting on the cold tiles for several minutes, he looked up from between his legs at the floor length mirror and saw a distressed face staring back at him.

He made up his mind then. In the next few days, he would gradually tell her his secrets and what he was believed to be.

- - - - -

The next day, Gwen and Sonic entered the school hand in hand, smiling, and laughing at something he had said. Several classmates stared at them. They weren't used to seeing Sonic so comfortable with a girl. It was like going outside in the middle of July and seeing 6 feet of snow on the ground.

Gwen didn't like being looked at like this. "Why are they staring?"

"It's just that we're together, is all," Sonic replied reassuringly. He patted her on the top of the head with the hand that wasn't in hers and laughed when she started giving him a death stare.

They soon reached their lockers and began to get ready for the day. As Gwen started putting her books away, a thin notebook fell out of her bag and onto the floor. Before she could pick it up, Sonic had snatched it and opened it. "What's this?" Sonic asked her.

Gwen took it from his hands and closed it, keeping her cool. "None of your business."

Sonic grinned. "Is it a diary?"

"No, just a book of artwork."

"Then why can't I see it?"

"It's..." Gwen tried to find a word that suited it at this point. "Incomplete. There isn't much in there."

"Hey, I don't mind. Any artwork is better than none at all. Can I please see it?" Sonic smiled on the word _please_.

Gwen thought about it for a moment, then handed it to him and watched him flip through the pages. It wasn't like she didn't want him looking at it. She just wished that there were more drawings in there for him to look at.

Sonic noted details in nearly every drawing, the colors she used, and what the drawings were of. Most of them were of her friends, and there was one self portrait. There were some of him, which made Sonic flutter with excitement. But after several pages, he came across a drawing that made him freeze and stare at it.

It was an unbelievably incredible drawing of Shadow.

"Sonic? Is something wrong?"

"No," he replied and handed the book back to her. "You're an amazing drawer. I bet you could be famous someday." He smiled.

Gwen blushed slightly at his flattery. "Thanks, I guess."

He smiled again and put his books away when he heard something. "Sonic!"

Gwen noticed how tense Sonic had just become, and his erect ears twitched. "What is it?"

"Crap." He straightened up and looked behind him where he could see Amy coming towards him with a hard expression on her face.

"What were you two doing last night?" Amy said accusingly, glaring at Sonic and Gwen.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that shit, Sonic. I know you two were out last night. Together. Alone. With NO ADULT SUPERVISION."

"Yeah, so?" Gwen butted in. "We're teenagers. We're allowed to be out alone."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, COURTESAN."

"Gwen, just stay out of it please," Sonic murmured to her. "Amy can get ugly."

She obediently took a step back and continued to watch the fight while thinking about the meaning of _courtesan_. She thought it meant slut.

"How would you know if I was out yesterday?" Sonic shot at Amy.

"Maybe I saw, oh, I dunno, your text messages to Knuckles and Tails?" Amy raised one eyebrow.

"AMY! I told you to stop butting into my phone account! If you don't stop soon, I'm going to have to call the authorities."

"Why don't you call them now? They can't hurt me." She pulled her Piko hammer from its hiding spot and held it in the air for a second, then put it back. "However, that's getting off-track. The point is, I saw your message, and I just went to The French Cafe. Pretty simple."

"How come I didn't see you?"

"I requested a table where I could see everyone from one spot. You know what pushovers those women are. They gave me a second floor balcony table."

"They have a SECOND FLOOR?"

"Yeah. I saw you two come in the door just minutes after I sat down, and I watched you drool over Gwen." She watched Sonic's face flush and shrugged and said in a manner-of-fact tone, "Nothing to it, really. I know how to be quiet."

"Regardless of how good your spying skills are," he said, his skin returning to its normal color, "I am not happy with you watching me when I'm out on a DATE with someone. It makes me very pissed off, and I really want you to just stop."

"Oh yeah? Try to make me." She put her hands on her hips and smirked at him. "Go ahead."

"GOD! See, THIS is why I don't like being around you, Amy. You're too damn nosy, not to mention RUDE, too."

"Look who's talking!"

"You brought this upon yourself, Amy. There's no denying it." Sonic paused for a moment. "Do you really think this will ever make me love you? Do you not see that you're the one losing this battle?"

Amy froze, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes looking like two green flames. She slowly took in his words.

"Because if you do, then there is something SERIOUSLY screwed up with you. You have to FACE THE FACTS. Nobody who acts like a bitch, like YOU ARE RIGHT NOW, will ever have a boyfriend, not to mention get a positive response from their friends." Sonic's speech was powerful, unbreakable. For once, he felt as if he were on a higher level than Amy, and not underneath her influence.

Her lower lip quivered. "I HATE you," she spat. "I hate YOU, I hate your FACE, and I most ESPECIALLY hate your stupid GIRLFRIEND. I HATE ALL YOU DAMN PERVERTS! GO BURN IN HELL!" A tear escaped and she sprinted away from them.

Sonic sighed. "I hate seeing her cry," he told Gwen. "But that chick SERIOUSLY needs a taste of reality. She's lived in a fantasy world for too long now."

Gwen heard his words, but they went in one ear and came out the other. She was looking at the door that Amy had run through. It led to the middle school girl's bathroom.

- - - - -

Gwen slowly opened the door and walked across the slightly small room. She could hear sobs coming from one stall. She knocked softly on the door. "Amy?"

"Go away," Amy squeaked, not sounding anything like herself.

"Amy, it's me. Gwen." Gwen waited for a response. None came. _I might as well have just flung myself into a pool of acid. _

The door flew open suddenly and Gwen stared at Amy, who looked like a total wreck already. Her quills were sticking up all over the place, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Her eyes were starting to get bloodshot. "What do you want? Did Sonic send you in here? Or did you just come to make me feel like shit?"

"No, I'd never want to do that," Gwen replied. She was shocked that Amy would jump to that conclusion so quickly, but she guessed she saw it coming.

"Then what? Do you hate me?"

"No. I do not."

Amy just stared at Gwen. "You had to have had a reason. Spit it out."

"I just want to be friends, not enemies like you're holding up. I know you must dislike me to the ends of the planet for dating Sonic, but I want to be your friend. I want to hear your side of the story. In a calm, soft voice."

Amy stared hard at the floor as if she wanted to set it on fire, then looked up at Gwen. "I was at least a hundred shades of jealous of you and Sonic when you got connected. I've been trying to get his attention for many a year now. He never thought of me as... pretty or attractive or any of those kinds of words. I tried my best to keep his interest, but he always went back to talking to Knuckles or Tails... or you, when we get more recent. I felt so pissed off at him that I just kept hurting him, over and over and over-verbally, emotionally, even physically. Has he told you the story of the time that I dragged him to my house?"

She paused for a second, waiting for Gwen to respond. When she didn't, she assumed Sonic hadn't said anything about it. "Okay, then you do NOT want to know what I did to him. I'm surprised I wasn't arrested. I feel so bad... he's right. He won't love me if I keep damaging him this way."

She took several shuddering breaths, and a few tears came loose again. "Help me, Gwen! You understand him on a level that not even Knuckles or Tails has reached. You're beautiful, nice, funny... everything that I'm NOT. I'm just a worthless body! A dead weight! Nobody is friends with me!"

Gwen watched her crumple down onto the floor, sobbing and not looking a thing like the strong, sarcastic girl she had seen 5 minutes ago, before she had cracked. She sat down next to her and smoothed down her quills slowly. "Just cry, Amy. Let it all out. It's okay." Amy continued crying, and Gwen soon thought of one thing that she'd be willing to do to make her happy. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "You can have Sonic."

Amy looked up at her, shocked. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "What? Is this a joke? Some kind of prank? Tell me now if it is. I don't want to get up hope."

"No. I'm being very serious. If you still want Sonic, be kinder and know what he wants and doesn't want. Then, he may realize how beautiful YOU are, and... ask you to be his girl."

"But he loves YOU. It's plain on his face whenever he sees you. You two were meant for each other."

Gwen looked down and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Maybe this is like a puzzle. I might not be the right piece. But you two might fit together tighter than us." She paused for a moment and realized how perverted that sounded. "Okay, never mind."

Amy giggled. "It's alright. I'm used to that." She sighed and looked at Gwen as she raised her head to meet Amy's eyes. "I can't just take your friend away from you like that. You love him."

"No, I don't." She swallowed back another lump in her throat.

"Then who DO you love?"

Gwen had no answer. She just stared at the wall.

Amy sighed. "I knew it. You love him, too. You want to tell him, but you can't. You're afraid he will think you're crazy. Lovesick, even." She was basically saying what Gwen was trying to deny to herself.

Gwen smiled. "Those are the same words he used to describe you."

Amy laughed weakly. "I'm not surprised. I'm usually described as that by everyone. I'm not a popular girl. I never was. The only reason why I get to sit at that table was because Cosmo invited me over there on my first day of 5th grade a couple years ago. I had been too shy to sit next to Sonic at the time." She laughed again at her silliness.

"Just keep trying," Gwen advised. "Remember that popularity isn't everything. Friends are."

Amy looked up at her and smiled. "I'm glad you came and talked to me. I feel so much better now."

"I'm glad I did, too."

They both stood and Amy gave Gwen an unexpected hug. "I'll see you at lunch."

They both left the bathroom, feeling better than they had felt in a while.

* * *

The ending's a bit lame, but I love this chapter, so R&R!!!

~ GABL


	11. Confirming The Shadowy Rumor: Part One

Okay, I normally wouldn't upload so much in one day. BUT. I'm in a _**very**_ good mood w So here's chapter 11. This one just looks long because it has a full-length song in it "^_^

And I need to say that the lyrics for "Imaginary" quoted in this chapter belong to Evanescence. I do not own them, sadly =(

Here's a YouTube link to "Imaginary" if anyone hasn't heard it before.

(.)com/watch?v=odatDWByonw

* * *

Gwen sat at her desk later that night, coloring a sketch to go in her book. It was of two human girls with cat ears and tails-one purple, the other light blue and pink. She scribbled a signature in the corner when she heard a faint rap on her window. She turned to look at it, and saw nothing. _Must be a squirrel. _She turned back to her picture and heard it again. This time, she saw something move outside.

She was cautious, and somewhat frightened. She slowly approached the window. She opened it to look out and came face to face with a pair of red eyes. "Shadow?" she gasped.

He grinned as he stood on the tree branch outside her window. "Hey girl."

"Who... how... what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Shadow asked, rocking back onto his heels. "I'm paying you a visit."

"I can see that, but how did you know where I live?"

Shadow's eyebrows sloped down slightly, and he smiled sheepishly as he scratched at the top of his head. "Look, I don't really wanna sound like a crazy stalker or anything but..." He chuckled nervously before he continued. "I saw you walking home that first day you came here, and I followed you here."

Gwen really didn't know how to respond to that. There was silence for a couple of seconds. "O...kay."

She opened the window wider, and Shadow leapt into the room. She noticed what he was holding in his hand: a notebook.

Shadow saw where she was looking. "It's my drawing book."

Gwen fluttered inside when she heard that. "I keep a sketchbook, too."

Shadow looked up at her and smiled. "Could I see yours?"

Gwen glanced at her open sketchbook on her desk. "I'll trade you, how's that?"

Shadow looked down nervously. "Sure," he said after a second of hesitation.

They handed over their books. The first words that went through Gwen's mind when she opened his book were, _Is this for REAL?! _"You're an amazing artist, Shadow!" She turned page after page and only saw museum worthy drawings.

He grinned shyly. "Thanks, I guess..." He lifted the cover of hers and slowly flipped through the pages, his face serious again.

Gwen mused over the messages that Shadow was conveying through his artwork. In one, he stared longingly at a tree, as if he wanted it to swallow him up. She recognized the tree as the one she saw him sitting under on the first day of school. _That must have been what he was drawing. _

There was another one-though this was just a rough sketch-of Sonic's lunch table. Everybody was laughing, and she noticed that she was in the group, alongside Anne, so this was fairly recent.

In another, Sonic and Tails were sitting up at the top of a tree. Their faces had such serious expressions that they were almost comical.

She turned the page and wasn't expecting to see a portrait of herself in there. It was colored with pencils, but it seemed it was painted on glass. Her eyes had little diamonds in them, and were framed by thick black eyelashes. There was one detail that truly amazed her, however. He barely drew her breasts. They were barely hinted at. _He doesn't notice me for that. _

"I like your artwork, as well," Shadow said after closing her book.

"Thanks."

"And I noticed you had a drawing of me in here. I'm merely being curious; why did you draw that?"

Gwen blushed furiously. "I was thinking about you."

"Hm..."

A worried line appeared between Gwen's eyebrows. "Do you not like it?"

Shadow looked up at her, a mix of calm and shock on his face. "Not like it? No, I don't like it. But that doesn't mean I don't love it." He grinned, teasing.

Gwen giggled, relieved. Shadow sat on her bed, and she sat next to him. Shadow held up the book. "This is very good. It will get you somewhere someday. You could be an illustrator for an author, or just an artist."

Gwen smiled slightly. They sat in silence for a moment. Shadow turned to Gwen. "Do you have any other talents?"

"Well..." Gwen blushed. "I guess I'm a good singer. I sing all the time in here."

"Really? Could you sing for me?"

Gwen sat there for a moment, then stood and went to her huge stereo to find something that she could sing and not feel too horribly silly about. Her eyes rested on what she felt would be the best choice, and she slipped the CD in. It was Track 7 of Evanescence's first album,_ Fallen._

She faced Shadow, and sang with all her power.

"_Ohh_

_Paper flowers._

_Ohh_

_Paper flowers._

_I linger in the doorway_

_Of alarms screaming_

_Monsters calling my name_

_Let me stay_

_Where the wind will whisper to me_

_Where the raindrops _

_As they're falling_

_Tell a story._

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds, a lullaby_

_I lay inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple skies fly over me._

_Don't say I'm out of touch_

_With this rampant chaos_

_Your reality_

_I know well what lies beyond_

_My sleeping refuge_

_When I'm there I build my own world_

_To escape. _

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds, a lullaby_

_I lay inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple skies fly over me."_

She took many deep breaths before singing once more, in a soft tone.

"_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_

_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_

_Oh how I run from a deep sleep dreaming_

_The goddess of imaginary light."_

Shadow met her eye, grinning, and she finished off the song with a beautiful crescendo.

"_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds a lullaby_

_I lay inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple skies fly over me._

_Ohh_

_Paper flowers._

_Ohh_

_Paper flowers."_

Shadow applauded as the end of the song played. "You have a beautiful voice, Gwen."

"Thanks, Shadow," she said softly, blushing again. She sat down again next to him after turning off her stereo.

"Will you freak out if I do something?"

"Depends on what you do," Gwen replied hesitantly.

"Then close your eyes."

Gwen did as she was told.

"Relax," Shadow said. His voice seemed to liquidize and become highly hypnotic. "Just relax for a moment."

Gwen exhaled and her shoulders dropped. Shadow gently took her head in his hands and turned it so that she was facing him. He closed his eyes and moved closer, his mouth slightly open. He pressed his lips against hers.

Gwen was slightly surprised, but was soon swept into the kiss. She knitted her fingers into his quills, pulling him closer to her, wanting more. Shadow leaned back, pulling Gwen until she was on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her back. Her mouth slid down his neck, and he shivered.

The movement suddenly aroused two things in Gwen-her sexual instincts, and a flashback from her date with Sonic:

_They were nearing the end of the date, and they were talking about their fellow classmates. "What about Shadow?" she had said._

_She saw Sonic's eyes narrow, and his jaw clench and unclench. "There's not much to say about him. Although..." He smiled. "He does have a reputation."_

"_What?" Gwen asked, interested._

"_He's known for being... you know... kind of a seductive guy. A 'womanizer'. He's rumored to have done X-rated things to young girls. You remember when Amy was trying to tell you what Shadow was on your first day, when Knuckles had stopped her? She was trying to say 'He's a rapist.'"_

Snapping out of the daydream, Gwen's eyes popped open and she gasped sharply. She sat up quickly, leaving Shadow laying still on her bed, looking confused and concerned. He placed a palm on her cheek. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Gwen avoided his eyes as she tried to figure out how to breathe again. "Maybe I'm just... overreacting. I bet that's it."

"What is it?" Shadow asked again, sitting up.

Gwen was nervous to ask. "Have you ever actually... you know... impregnated a girl before?"

Shadow's eyes widened in surprise. "No! What the hell gave you THAT idea? Have people been talking about me or something?"

"Sonic told me that you were rumored to have done so."

Shadow let out a short burst of laughter-probably the first one in weeks. "That blue hedgehog is such a jerk. He's always telling stories about what a dirty guy I am." There was silence for a few seconds. "The rumors are false, about me raping girls in my spare time." He grinned. "I just happen to be a VERY sexy outcast that every girl secretly wants to sleep with." He slipped his arms around Gwen's waist and pulled her close to him again.

Gwen smiled. "But you don't mind that?"

"Hell no. I enjoy every minute of it."

She grinned and went for another kiss. His bad boy demeanor was dangerously attractive, and she couldn't get enough.

* * *

:D I love happy endings... R&R!!!

~ GABL


	12. Accidentially In Love

I'm doing one of those "explosion upload" things again today: where I post more than 1 chapter.

And I'm going to use this time to mention that this story will have 25 chapters total :)

I hope you like this chapter! It's a bit sadistic at the end *halo appears over my head***  


* * *

**It was still dark outside, the full moon shining brightly. The dawn was approaching, tinting the sky pink.

Gwen was stretched across Shadow's torso on her bed, his arms around her waist. She was in a nightgown, and Shadow's shirt was on the floor. They were still asleep until the rising sun's first rays peeked through Gwen's curtains and hit her eyelids. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes with both hands. She looked behind her and smiled when she saw Shadow awaken and mumble, "Hi there."

"Hey."

"So... what exactly happened last night?"

"I have no clue. It's all kinda... hazy. Almost like a dream. I was awake for most of the night, anyway."

"Same here."

They grinned at each other and Gwen's alarm clock went off. Shadow turned it off without a second thought. She laid down next to him and snuggled into his furry chest, and Shadow chuckled. "Does that tickle?"

Shadow's eyes widened. "No." His tone was not convincing.

"Oh, I don't think so. It seems ticklish to me." She rubbed her nose into it, and Shadow laughed.

"Cut it out!"

"No! You'll never get away!" She wiggled her fingers in the fur, feeling like a little kid again, and they were soon laughing hysterically.

The day continued much the same as this-talking, kissing, and just laying in the bed lazily. They skipped school altogether, and for a split second Gwen wondered if Sonic knew where she was.

She decided to keep it a secret between herself and Shadow. After all, it wasn't like anyone was going to force her to spit it out. She felt slightly guilty, but brushed it off.

When afternoon approached, Gwen decided to bring up a topic that they seemed to avoid for the most part. "I've always thought you were an unusual guy," she said carefully.

Shadow looked at her; his eyes were slightly cautious. "How so?"

Gwen trudged deeper into the water. "You just seem so... isolated. Different. You never hang out with anybody except for me. It almost seems as if you're genetically enhanced. Plus I've never seen a hedgehog with such a bright shade of crimson for eyes."

Shadow's fur bristled and his eyes narrowed. "I'd like to explain that later, but not now."

Gwen gazed at him. Her chocolate brown eyes were soft. "Well, when you want to tell me, you can, okay?"

"I know, and I will."

There was silence for several seconds as Shadow seemed to relax again. "Why am I the only person you talk to?" Gwen asked.

"I feel... different... when I'm near you. I seem to be in better control of my anger when I'm around you." He grinned devilishly and gave her a squeeze. "However, there are OTHER urges that I almost can't contain whenever I'm this close to you." _I'm dancing right on the edge, and she still doesn't see it. She must need glasses._

"What's so special about me?"

He sighed. "Gwen, do you realize you are probably the most beautiful girl in the school? You're also very smart, and hard to resist."

"So it's not just my chest?" Gwen said sarcastically.

Shadow's eyes flickered down to her large breasts, then back up at her. "No. You are, altogether, a very beautiful girl."

Gwen turned pink, and Shadow's eyes seemed to glow slightly brighter. "And that blush. It's so cute. It gives you a sense of innocence and sincerity, yet everybody knows after they've talked to you that you're a very mature and strong friend who takes bad news very well and does not easily break down into tears... unlike some other girls we know."

"How do you know so much about me?"

Shadow grinned at her and tapped her nose with the tip of his finger. "You're not that hard to read. You're like an open book."

She laughed tiredly, and as if to back her up, she yawned. "I didn't realize how tired I was all the sudden."

"Get some more beauty sleep, even though you don't need the beauty part," Shadow replied kindly. "But you do need more than 2 hours. I won't disappear, don't worry."

Gwen smiled at him, then let her eyelids slide closed and she fell asleep in his arms.

- - - - -

_I can't keep it from her too much longer_, Shadow thought as he looked at Gwen on the bed, peaceful and unknowing. His thirst was rising to his limit, and if he didn't either tell her soon or leave for the night, he would surely attack and kill her. He couldn't let that happen. But he waited for her to open her eyes a few minutes later before he leaped out the window, where she wouldn't be so tempting.

Gwen felt slightly down. Shadow was the first boy that had ever slept with her, not counting her father when she was much younger, and he disappeared just like that without a nod or "Goodbye".

Meanwhile, Shadow was running through the forest as fast as he could. He had to get away from her before he could quench his thirst. It was well into the night when he finally disappeared and could find food.

- - - - -

Star the Echidna was wandering through the wood, alone and looking for Kratos, who had strolled further on to take a leak. _I'm really lost now,_ she thought as a drip of uneasy sweat oozed out of her forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and took a deep breath. "Hello?" she called. "Is anybody there?"

She jumped when some small animals scurried past her feet and up the tree next to her. "Hello?" she yelled again. "Can anybody hear me? Does anybody know how to get out of here? Kratos?"

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of crunching leaves signaled someone was coming. She sighed with relief. "Kratos? Kratos, baby, I'm lost and I don't know my way out and I've been looking all over for you and I..."

She stopped short when she saw who was approaching her. His red eyes glowed brightly in the dim light.

_Oh my God,_ she thought. _Now I'm definitely screwed. _

"Kratos is gone." Shadow came closer, his expression calm as he kept control over his hunger. He observed the girl who had so stupidly wandered in this maze of trees. He smiled slightly when he saw the terror on her face. "Don't be afraid," he drawled in his liquid voice. "I'm not here to kill you."

"What else would you want?"

He pursed his lips. "I need a little advice. On girls."

Star was somewhat shocked. _This pedophile wants my advice?_ "What do you want to know?"

"I want... I want to know the best way to tell a girl I love her, that I'd do anything for her." With these words, Shadow stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her muzzle. "That I want to make love with her. That I want to live with her forever." He knew his words sounded as if they were directed at her, and that's what he wanted her to believe. He wrapped his other arm around her midriff and held her close.

Star fell for it. "Say it through poetry, say it through music," she whispered. "Don't pause. Don't stop."

Shadow's eyes brightened. "Thank you," he said.

Then he grinned and pinned her on the ground as if to rape her. She let out a cry of shock and fear just before Shadow forced his mouth to her neck, snarling like an angry cat and clamping his jaw down on the flesh.

Star let out a deafening scream, then gurgled as blood flowed through her throat. Shadow jerked her up fast and snapped her head back. The neck broke with a loud crack, and Star stopped resisting Shadow's movements. Her eyes glazed over and her heart screeched to a halt. "Be happy I killed your dear Kratos before he found your corpse. I hope you two have some fun up there in that place that you call Heaven." With those last frightening words, he drained her of her blood.

* * *

Kinda creepy, right? :D R&R!!!

~ GABL


	13. Confirming The Shadowy Rumor: Part Two

I wasn't even expecting to have 7 reviews by now! I want to thank

~ Bella Cullen-Luckier Than You

~ Yoshi 2.1

~ Grape Stripe

~ Blazing Starz

for reviewing and supporting me, especially Yoshi 2.1 :) *cyberhuggles everyone***

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**

"Someone was MURDERED?" Gwen said incredulously.

"Yes," her mother responded with a sigh. "It's all over the place on the news. No one can figure out who killed the poor girl. It's awful."

Gwen was already feeling kind of uneasy-she had a headache from going back to her normal sleep schedule instead of dozing the day away. Now she was downright terrified, and hoped her waffle and orange juice breakfast wasn't about to come up. "Do you want me to stay in the house all the time?"

Her mom thought for a minute before answering. "I think you'll be safe at school, but don't go anywhere else. For my sanity, okay?"

Gwen agreed. It would keep her sane, too.

Later at lunch, she and her friends were sitting at their lunch table, smiling and laughing and talking, not thinking about what was going on in the outside world. Gwen was lost in thought, though. She looked behind her at where Shadow was still sitting alone. He was looking at her, his eyes darker than they were the day before and brooding. She wanted to go sit with him, but she wondered how that would seem. _It would look funny, wouldn't it?_ She soon looked away and turned back to Amy, who was trying to show her something on her cell phone.

Knuckles had seen Gwen looking at Shadow and he smiled as he fiddled with his fork. "So, Gwen. Do you feel like choosing between boyfriends any time soon?"

She looked at him, confused. Everyone at the table slowly fell silent and looked at Gwen except for Sonic, who refused to meet her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You've been hanging out with both Sonic and that Shadow guy a lot. I'm just curious if you were dating both of them, possibly."

Sonic's eyes flickered to Gwen, and his ear twitched.

"No, I'm not dating Shadow," Gwen half-lied, nibbling on the skin of her apple.

Knuckles grinned. "Does that mean you're dating SONIC, then?"

"It was one date. You can get over it and shut the hell up," Gwen snapped at him.

He leaned back in his seat. "You're so touchy. You know, Sonic told me everything."

"Oh, like what?"

"He said that you were dressed well. Wasn't there, oh, a super-sexy top, in his words?"

Gwen glared at Sonic, who was beginning to grin again. "What can I say?" he replied nonchalantly. "It was a very revealing top, and I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. You are a true woman with true boobs."

This made Gwen angry, and Amy backed her up. "Go hang out with ROUGE, then! She's HUGE!"

Sonic's eyebrows furrowed as he took another gulp of milk. "No way. She's a suicidal bitch." That was definitely true. Rouge had tried to kill herself multiple times after being dumped by a hot senior fox named Allen, and all because she didn't want to have a threesome with him and another guy.

"That was mean," Cream piped up down the table.

"I agree," said Gwen, her blood spiking. "Are you often that rude?"

Sonic grinned cockily. "Maybe," he replied. His eyes flickered to her chest.

Gwen looked down where he was staring and ran out of the room through a side door, leading out to the courtyard. She just had to get away. She didn't really know why. She thought it might have been instinct.

"What did I do?!" she heard Sonic say to his remaining lunch table just before she closed the door behind her.

It was starting to rain, a few plump drops falling and dancing through the air. They waltzed and then flew apart as they hit the soggy earth. The sky above was a dark gray, the same shade as Alex's fur. A storm would be coming soon.

Gwen looked around for a moment and saw two echidna guys making out underneath a small, hidden gazebo about 100 feet away from her, deep in the trees. She envied them. She felt she had no freedom of love. At least they weren't afraid of showing the world that they were in love. She felt she couldn't admit that she, bang-up Gwen the Hedgehog with guys coming to her in flocks, was in love with an outcast.

After a few minutes of watching the two gay echidnas, they stood and walked away, holding hands, and her attention drifted. She didn't really focus on anything specific; all she noticed was that the rain was starting to come down harder.

Gwen stood in front of the door and blinked. _I didn't see Shadow come out here. _

But he was there; he was looking at a small book, his back to her. He turned his head to look at her. His expression was blank and calm as he snapped the book closed with one hand. "Hey." He turned back to his book and flipped the pages until he reached the end. He ripped out the last page cleanly, folded it in half, and handed it to her.

She took it from his hand and stared at it. "What is it?"

Shadow didn't look her in the eyes. "Something I wrote last night. I want you to read it. I couldn't say it aloud."

Gwen looked down at the piece of paper.

_Chains of Absolution_

_You've tied me up with your Chains of Absolution_

_You've tortured me when blood flows through you_

_The scent is intoxicating, and it's so hard to keep my distance_

_When all I want to do is get closer to you_

_Give it to you like you've never had it before_

_Get tangled up in your Chains of Absolution._

She just stared at the poem. "You're in love with me," she reasoned.

Shadow's arms were crossed over his chest. "Yes. I am. But... there's something else. You're looking over it."

Gwen looked down at it again, her heart fluttering as it sank in that he loved her too._ Something else... what else is there to get out of it? It's a love poem. He just said so._ She paused. _He says it tortures him when blood flows through me. And that it smells good. But that doesn't make sense. How could he smell my blood, and why would it torture him? What creature could smell blood and it be painful for them if they... loved someone?_

Her eyes widened as the hints seemed a thousand times more important. _Wait._

_Isolated behavior, blood, and the eyes changing. Glowing crimson to maroon. He wants to keep me alive because he loves me. He can run at incredible speeds, but he doesn't tire. He never eats or drinks anything at school. It's fitting together now._

She stared at the paper for a moment. Then, slowly, she walked toward Shadow and in front of him. He raised his head slightly. "Have you decoded it?" Shadow asked seriously.

"Yes," Gwen whispered.

There was a long silence. "What am I?"

Gwen's voice cracked slightly as she answered Shadow's question. "Vampire."

* * *

*cues the gasps of shock and amazement* LOL I kid you :) Anyway, R&R!!!

~ GABL


	14. Blood and Love

This is the last chapter I think I am going to upload for today :P It's midget size! 8D**  


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**

Shadow took Gwen's hand in his. He raised her hand and pricked one of her fingers with her sharp fingernail. She hissed, but didn't make an attempt to run as he squeezed it and a large drop of dark red blood emerged. His eyes glowed slightly, and he licked the drop from her finger with a cool wet tongue. "Shadow, you're seriously starting to scare me," Gwen warned him.

"Your blood," Shadow said. "It's incredible." He squeezed her finger again, and ran his tongue feverishly over the blood. She pulled her hand gently away from his.

"Stop that," she said firmly.

Shadow froze. His eyes narrowed. "What is it that you want, Gwen?"

"I want the truth spoken to my face! Not through a mere poem, but coming from the man who WROTE the poem. You need to realize that to me this is mind boggling! Not five minutes ago, I didn't believe vampires existed! God damn it Shadow!" Gwen took a deep breath and paused for a minute. "Just tell me the truth, to my face, and don't cut corners."

Shadow sighed and grasped her wrists. "I will say this loud and clear. I am a vampire. I'm immortal. I have lived as an immortal being, if you can call that living, for 150 years. I was transformed in an alley in south-western Mobius.

"I had a human life that wasn't worth shit. I used to be an unpopular teenage kid who was on some kind of jacked-up crack. It was killing me, but an immortal spared my life. I remember specifically it was my 15th birthday when I was transformed into what I am today.

"When we get to more recent history, I drink the blood of our breed and others that live here. I am the one responsible for the murder of Star the echidna last night. I drank that poor girl's blood so that I wouldn't be so tempted to suck YOU dry. That would have been too painful to bear. I wish to live with you forever."

Gwen blinked and tried to take in his words. _Shadow, a murderer? _

He continued. "I can't help it. This feeling..." He put his hand on her heart, where he could feel her lively pulse. "It doesn't want to go away. It's like it's sewn into my soul, and I don't know how to pull out the threads and free you."

He paused. "This might sound awful of me to say, but I don't want to be in love with you. Immortal plus mortal equals not happenin', especially when one wants to drink the other's blood.

"It's so difficult to control myself," Shadow sighed. "I make one mistake, and I could kill you."

Gwen flinched. "Shadow... don't look at it that way."

"Okay, I won't think about it then." Shadow's hand ran across her chest. He stopped on her right breast. He smiled and laughed slightly. "If you knew what I was thinking right now, however... I bet you'd be pissed off."

Gwen frowned. "I have a feeling I already know, and it's not happening here. There's no way I'm gonna let you do that." She paused, then grinned. "Not yet, at least. Soon. You don't need to wait long, just until I'm ready."

Shadow smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT?!"

Gwen froze where she was. She knew that voice all too well. "Sonic?!"

The cobalt hedgehog stepped out from behind the trees surrounding Gwen and Shadow, his eyes wide and his expression shocked. Shadow jumped away from her, holding up his hands as if he were under arrest. Or as if he hadn't been touching her. "DUDE! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Sonic ignored Shadow, ran up to Gwen, and shook her shoulders for a moment. "What did you just say to Shadow?"

"You heard me! You should know," she replied, her head swirling.

He let go of her shoulders. "I was hoping I misunderstood, actually, if you two were referring to actually having real sex. That's just DISTURBING!"

This made Gwen snap. "When was it your duty to decide my feelings?!"

"You know I care about you! I'm not going to let some crazy bloodsucking vampire seduce you!"

Gwen growled and said something she thought she'd never get to say. "Oh for fuck's sake! I know he's a fucking vampire! Just let me love him and leave me in peace. Besides, I know you're just jealous of us. I know you want me. I can see it by the way you're always STARING AT MY BOOBS!" Her voice rose to a crescendo.

Sonic opened his mouth to say something in response, but nothing came out. Gwen sighed, and her tone lowered to soft but firm. "Look. I care about you, too. You're one of my best friends. I enjoy spending time with you. I just don't feel the same way about you as I do about Shadow.

"Shadow and I have a lot in common. He's a serious guy who could protect me if we ever had to go into battle. We both love art. We're both against Christianity. We're highly educated. We have the same opinions on many things. He's already proved that he can stay in control of his blood lust whenever he's this close to me." She motioned to the half a foot long space between herself and Sonic.

"Are you sure it's true?" Sonic asked.

"Yes! Now just get out of my ass and shut the fuck up!"

Sonic stood there, motionless for a second, then bowed his head. He knew he had been defeated, and walked away. Shadow sat down next to Gwen on the bench that she had dropped on after her speech. "You showed him," Shadow said, trying to brighten the sudden down mood by smiling. "I had no idea a girl could talk like that. It was fucking awesome."

Gwen didn't look up at him, and Shadow's face fell. His pressed his lips together into a thin line. "Are you scared?"

"Of what?" Gwen asked, still staring at the increasingly soggy ground.

"Me."

She met his eyes. "No. Not any longer."

"You should be, you know," he said matter-of-factly.

Gwen barely heard him. After a few minutes, she grinned at him. "You need to come to my house tonight."

* * *

Oooooh! I wonder what she wants :) You'll have to wait a few days for Chapter 15 :D Au revoir!

~ GABL


	15. Presents! Whoopdeedoo

HEYYYY 8D I am in a good mood! You know what that means... ANOTHER CHAPPETY! ^_^ I hope you are pleased.  


* * *

_How the hell did I get pulled into this?_ Shadow thought as Gwen found her house key and let them into the house. His shoulders were tense under his jacket, and he walked with stiff movements.

"Hello?" Gwen yelled. "Mom?"

She turned to Shadow and held out the small box she had been holding. He took it and opened it to see electric blue colored contacts. "So she doesn't flip out," Gwen explained in a whisper.

Shadow looked up into her eyes, despair in them. "You're really making me MEET her?"

"Yeah. She would have found out eventually, anyway. It's better to just go ahead and get it over with."

Shadow sighed but obediently put them in. He blinked several times, trying to see through the unusual material. From Gwen's view, his eyes were now an intense shade of violet instead of scarlet. "These really fuck up my vision," he commented. "Thanks a lot."

"I only want you to wear them as long as she's in the room," Gwen assured him. "You can take them out in just a few minutes."

As she said these words, Shadow shoved the box in his jacket pocket. He looked up again to see Gwen's mother walking down the stairs. She looked from Gwen to Shadow, who were nearly touching hands. "Who is this, Gwen?" she asked, her tone curious.

"This is Shadow," Gwen explained. "He's a friend of mine. Shadow, this is my mother."

Shadow spoke politely, but quietly. "Hello, ma'am. I'm glad to meet you."

Her mother seemed to be momentarily dazed as Shadow's honey voice wafted over her ears. She blinked a couple of times, then offered her hand. Shadow shook it politely, then she stepped back. "He's just here to help me with my homework," Gwen said.

"I won't give her trouble, I promise," Shadow added.

Her mom nodded. "Dinner at seven, alright?"

"Okay."

"Would you like to join us, Shadow?"

Gwen looked up at Shadow, who responded, "No thank you ma'am, I've got food waiting at home for me."

Before her mom could respond, Gwen and Shadow walked up the stairs together, hands intertwined. At the top of the staircase, Gwen looked back down behind her at her mother. Shadow kissed the top of her head, then they went into Gwen's room. Her mother's eyes sparkled slightly. _She's finally found a boy. She's growing up. _

Once safely in her room, Shadow closed the door behind them and grinned, immediately relaxing. "_Voulez vou couchet avec moi ce soir?"_

Gwen giggled; she knew what he was saying. "I sleep with you every night. You don't even have to ask."

That night, they had a photo shoot. This was their homework: they were researching propaganda. They both knew that most propaganda is designed to persuade those who see it to feel or act a certain way, or to sell a product, and they both knew that one emotion was horny.

They chose two photos from the shoot that they felt would most likely draw people in. There was one of each of them.

In Gwen's photo, she was dressed in a scarlet red shirt with a low neckline and a matching short skirt. She had one hand on her hip and she was leaning forward slightly and pouting. She and Shadow both agreed that she looked suggestive, and for the project, they would write in bold letters, "I'm lonely and looking for someone hot. Call me."

For Shadow's picture, he was sitting on the floor, shirtless but wearing jeans, and his feet tucked under his butt. His knees were spread apart, and his arms are behind his head. He was smiling, and his eyelids were lowered so he looked out from under eyelashes. Gwen thought he looked sexy, to which he replied with a laugh. They would add similar text to his photo, as well.

Later that night, Shadow was still awake, his mind whirring. When he was sure Gwen was completely asleep, he stood and jumped out the window to retrieve something from his car. He came back in and hid it under her bed. He hoped she saw it before the week was out.

- - - - -

There was only one word that described the days that followed that: frustrating. For Gwen, they were her first Gym classes.

Because there was a student moving out of that semester's Gym class, they needed someone to fill in for her. At random, Gwen was chosen. And was seriously unhappy about it.

Gwen was not the sort of person who would be kicking around a soccer ball or running after school. She was either drawing, with her friends and boyfriend, or using the Internet. So the fact that she was now being forced to run around the room for an hour every day pissed her off big time.

It wasn't only that. Gwen, around girls, was still slightly self-conscious about changing clothes in front of them, especially since this was a whole new group of girls that she had never seen before. She never truly grew out of it like most girls. Plus, one of the girls there was physically bisexual, and there were two more who were dating each other. At least Amy, Anne, and Cream were there, too. So that first day, she tried to change unnoticed in the very corner of the room and get away without taking a shower afterwards.

"Crazy," Amy had told her on her second day. "You're gonna smell something bad if you don't take a shower, Gwen. If you're really that nervous about it, either I or Anne can hold up a towel around you."

The day after that little pep talk, Gwen decided to take a chance and change with the rest of the girls instead of in her corner. She knew that everybody had heard the bi girl wolf-whistle when Gwen removed her bra. "THAT'S not embarrassing," Gwen told Anne sarcastically as they walked to their lockers the next day.

"It's not unusual for her to do that," Anne assured her. "She hits on everyone. It's not just you. Just don't let her get too close or she'll try to have sex with you. Trust me."

Gwen's jaw dropped. "You..."

"No. Almost, though. She pinned me up against the wall..."

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANY MORE. I just asked because you're dating Knuckles."

"At least I don't SLEEP with him," Anne teased.

"Well obviously, he's 3 years older than you! And don't say that so loud, you're the only one I've told that Shadow's been sleeping with me."

"Ah. I'll shut up." She smiled angelically, and Gwen rolled her eyes at her.

- - - - -

Gwen sighed as she entered her bedroom and tried to forget that conversation from earlier. She sat down at her desk, where she remembered leaving her drawing pencils bag.

But it wasn't there. She looked under the desk, in the drawer, in the little one foot space in between it and her wardrobe. But it wasn't in any of those places. Just when she was about to give up, she saw a corner of the plastic bag sticking out from under her bed. She got on her hands and knees and pulled it out.

The two small wrapped boxes on top made her groan. _The last thing I need right now is PRESENTS._

She hauled her bag onto the bed and inspected the boxes. They looked drastically different. One of them was wrapped in glittery pink paper; the other was solid black with a light blue ribbon around it.

The pink one had a tag that said it was from her mother, so she opened it first. On top was a handwritten note.

_Gwen,_

_Since I've noticed that you and Shadow seem to be really close, I wanted to make sure you're being safe. I hope this doesn't embarrass you... well I know it will, probably, but don't get upset with me about it. Though I would prefer you practicing abstinence, if you DO happen to find yourself in which you are doing otherwise (you ARE in high school after all), have Shadow use these. _

_Love and care, Mom_

Gwen didn't have to go any further into the box to guess what her "gift" was.

Gwen shuddered and put the little box of condoms that truly terrified her in the back of her sock drawer. Then she went to the bed again and opened the second present.

This one too had a note.

_Gwen,_

_I saw this in a store and it reminded me of you. I hope it's your size, and that you like it. I can imagine you in it. _

_Yours, Shadow_

Her heart fluttered when she read the bottom of the note.

_P.S. I'm stopping by. Put it on and let me see how it looks on you._

Gwen was much more enthusiastic about Shadow's coming over than the humiliating box in her sock drawer. She reached in past the little bundles of tissue paper.

Soon, she felt her finger touch something smooth and made of fabric. She had no idea what it could be, so she pulled it from the box. She gasped when she saw a very skimpy, lacy, and arousing article of clothing.

It was a lingerie bra and G-string set, made of black silk. She ran her fingers along the intricate design, the thin fabric, and the luxurious appeal it had. She blinked, then put it on to see how she liked it. It barely covered her body, and even where it did cover, it was verging on harlot. But it was really pretty, otherwise, and it fit her without being baggy or tight.

She thought of the irony that her mother had gotten her a pregnancy PREVENTION gift and how Shadow had gotten her a pregnancy ENTICING gift, and she laughed quietly to herself.

But there was one thing she knew: if Shadow was coming over, and he wanted to see her in it...

_Holy shit. This guy is fucking HORNY.

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_

I just can't stop laughing at that last line, I'm sorry XD

R&R if you please,

~ GABL


	16. Shadow's Instincts

This is a supermidget chapter, but it's a very important one too! (Hint: lemon =w=)

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It was night. Shadow's hormones were churning like never before, but he continued running and ignored the incredible feeling on the inside. He clambered up the tree as fast as he could without ripping it to pieces. He was too worked up to go through the front door and be seen by Gwen's mother in his state-after all, she knew what time it was also. He reached the end of the branch that nearly touched Gwen's window and knocked on the window, where he could see her inside, wearing his gift, and looking extremely sexy in it. She looked at him and smiled as she opened the window.

She started to say "Hey" to him before he shot at her like a bullet, flattening her on the floor and kissing her as if he would never see her again. His fingers reached under her new lingerie and caressed her bare breasts, and she had to push him off of her to get him to stop, which was quite difficult. "Dude, what's with the sudden eagerness?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest. "This isn't how you usually act."

He breathed heavily as he tried to gain control over himself. "I'm sorry," he apologized between gasps. "I can't help it. It's instinct."

"What do you mean, 'It's instinct'?"

"Do you know what time of the year it is?" Shadow asked her.

Gwen thought for a moment, but could only come up with one obvious answer. "March?"

Shadow nodded. "What happens in March that involves hedgehogs and other animals?"

Gwen leaned back onto the floor and rested her head on her hands, trying to remember. Nothing came to her. "Dunno."

He sighed, exasperated, and looked at her. "Male and female. Love." When she still didn't get the hint, he dropped the atomic bomb of clues. "Babies."

She sat up when she suddenly remembered what happens between hedgehogs in the spring. "You... you want to be... my mating partner?"

Shadow nodded, his eyes shining and sparkling. "Is this okay? I'm asking 'cause it's... just sort of a touchy subject, if you get the pun. And it's polite to ask."

She was slightly hesitant, and wasn't sure how to reply. He was offering her what she had dreamt of. A love game. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for it. _But he's my boyfriend,_ she told herself. _It IS March, after all. The official legal age on Mobius is 14, and he looks like he's about to explode with excitement... I'd hate to see him alone at this time._ "If you need to let it out of your system..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence before Shadow had unzipped his jeans and was proceeding to unlace her lingerie. This is it, they thought together.

Soon they were both nude; the lights were dimmed until the room was nearly black, and the mating ceremony began.

Shadow began to pounce at Gwen, but she leapt away from him at the last second, showing her disapproval. She scampered away from him, and he chased after her, refusing to back down. He knew she was eventually going to tire. He was going to patiently wait until she did so.

After nearly an hour, Shadow had Gwen pinned to the ground, panting. Sweat was dripping off of him and gathering in tiny puddles on her skin. Gwen quickly rolled out from underneath Shadow, but he lunged for her again, grabbing her from behind. She struggled to break free for a moment, then grew limp - a silent signal. He turned her over so she was facing him and slowly ran his hands along her body, feeling her soft skin and fur, the muscle in her thighs, her breasts, until she began moaning.

This was his chance. He penetrated, and she squealed at the presence of another body inside her own. Her mouth pressed to his lips, taking in the taste of his tongue.

It might have been more invigorating for Gwen because Shadow was a vampire, or maybe she was just more sensitive, but she knew that this mating ceremony was unlike any she had ever heard of. Yes, the pouncing and lunging was the same, but the fact that she was going into heat so quickly... it was unreal. She loved it to death, and couldn't get enough. She wanted more; she NEEDED more. She had to feel his body against hers, feel the heat radiating from him. It was like cocaine-so addictive, so essential to survival. She knew this was wrong, but forgot about it in less than a second. She tasted Shadow's skin, feeling the muscle underneath it.

And what was more was that once they started, they just couldn't stop. It was as if Shadow was trying to make up for 150 years of hibernation. Gwen didn't object; she benefited from it. She wished it were 1000 years.

It was bliss for the two teenagers. Around the neighborhood, there were other faint, shrill squeals of other girls everywhere. They barely heard the shrieks. They were too wrapped up in each other, moaning, talking dirty about each other, being horny. It was like someone had turned on a light inside them.

They were bonding. This night was sealing their fate... a natural matrimony... a heavenly seduction between mortal and immortal.

This was so illegal; you'd think it'd be painful. But things are not always what they seem, especially in a world where vampires exist among the ones whose blood flowed through their veins. In this world, things that should cause pain may cause a deep, sweet pleasure.

* * *

SEXY MIDGETNESS! 8D R&R,

~ GABL


	17. Gone Crazy

This chapter's kinda short too; but enjoy it.

* * *

Their voices rang like gold as Shadow pulled himself from Gwen a few hours later. He had run out of juice to pump into her. She sat on the floor, covered in bodily fluids and shaking from aftershocks. It suddenly seemed cold in the room, though she knew the thermostat was turned up to 84. She reached out for Shadow, begging silently for him to hold her close, close so that she would be warm, close so that she could tell he was still there.

Her hands met his furnace hot body, and grasped with all her might; she began to sob. He held her hand against his muzzle, trying not to smell the blood, her blood, that covered it. Shadow stood her on her feet and he walked to the light switch.

The room was a complete mess. The carpet was multicolored where most of the sex had taken place, they had knocked multiple items off of the wall in their stampede, and Gwen looked like the carpet. Her body was mostly her natural blue color with her skin-colored oval going from her neck to between her legs, but she had a splotch of her blood here, a white smear of Shadow's stuff there. Even through this layer of liquids, Shadow still thought Gwen was beautiful.

"This is wrong," Shadow muttered, shaking his head. "Very wrong."

"So?" Gwen said in a rough voice. _I must have screamed too much._ "We love each other, and now you're officially wedded to me. Who needs a damn preacher when you've got a dick and a vagina to do the job for you?"

Her unexpected use of the words silenced them. After a few minutes, Shadow said, "We should get divorced, then get married again." Then they burst out laughing. Shadow felt better than he had in a very long time. He felt like a king.

- - - - -

"I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect," Gwen told Anne the next morning before school. She still felt incredible, as if it had never ended and Shadow was still inside her body. "It wasn't anything like the books we have to read described it."

"Good to know," Anne replied, sounding nervous and playing with one of her white dreadlocks. She and Knuckles had agreed a few days before then that later after school this day that they would preform the ceremony.

"You don't need to be scared," Gwen assured her. "Even if you're a year younger than you're supposed to be, he won't hurt you. Teenagers under 18 on Earth have more sex than we do!"

The school bell rang softly in the distance. Gwen and Anne sprinted in that direction, minds whirling about their boyfriends.

Sonic ran to his locker and saw that Gwen was there already, putting away her books. He thought she looked kind of different; her skin seemed to glow a bit brighter than usual, and her eyes sparkled like melted chocolate under a light.

He felt like he was about to piss his pants and ruin his best khakis, not to mention have a nosebleed, she was so gorgeous. He still had his eye on her, even after his defeat from the week before. He would go to her house that night and ask her to be his mate, and they would make love. It would relieve him of his hormones, and she would realize that HE was the one for her, not the bloodsucker that she was dating.

Then was his only chance. School would be closed the day after and for the rest of the month.

He noticed something that he hadn't really noticed before-she had a few pictures in her locker. There were a couple of Anne, and she had one of him in there.

But, just as he guessed, there was a shirtless picture of Shadow front and center. It was the picture that she and Shadow had used for their propaganda project. The one that she made an A+ on. "I'm surprised he shows up on film," he commented.

She looked at him, her melted chocolate eyes narrowing. She slammed her locker door shut with a _bang_. "What do you mean?"

"He's a vamp. Aren't they supposed to be invisible if they have their photo taken?"

"It's just a stupid myth from Earth," Gwen retorted, rolling her eyes at his idiocy. "What a dick you are, you don't know a thing about my boyfriend or any of his kind."

Her attitude surprised Sonic. Why was she acting so snobby? It was nothing like the sweet girl he loved. "Gwen? Is something up?"

She stared at him, a look of surprised insanity on her face. "Up? UP?!" Without warning, she threw one of her heavy textbooks at his face, propelling him backwards about 16 or 17 feet. "NO, nothing's up! Everything's fine! I'm just fine!" She wrung her quills in her fingers, knotting them up and twisting them. "I think I am," she whispered.

Then she shook her head. "No," she said. "I must be going out of my mind."

Sonic blinked. He was still stunned from the whack to the head. _Fuck, she's crazy_. He stood shakily, and walked toward her, afraid he might collapse with every step. "Gwen, honey," he said slowly, reaching out to her with one hand.

"Don't 'honey' me, you WOMANIZER," she spat, slapping his hand away. Then she picked up the book that she had thrown at him and ran down the hall.

Sonic shook his head in disbelief. He was certain something had happened to her. Whether it was brain trauma, or maybe just stress, it was affecting Gwen big time.

He didn't like it one bit.

- - - - -

Her hands were covered in thick brown mud, but Gwen continued to dig through the little mound of dirt that was slowly disappearing before her eyes. Nature was on her side today; it was pouring down rain. It matched her miserable, furious mood, and was also helping clear away the mud in front of her. She soon reached the bottom of the pile of mud, and the familiar metal trapdoor blinked up at her just before she yanked up on the handle and fell into the little space.

She blinked as she looked around Sonic's secret place. She stared at the TV, the fridge, the couch where she had sat with him... nothing looked the same without him beside her.

There she stood, underneath the open door with buckets of rain collapsing onto her head, as she cried her eyes out. Cried for Sonic, cried for her mother, cried for everyone who was hurt. Hurt by her. The rain seeped through her clothes and onto her skin. She felt cold, lonely, and depressed.

There she cried, and she didn't come out for hours.

- - - - -

Gwen still felt deranged and out-of-place for the rest of the day. She had no idea what could have caused it; all she knew was that it was a totally new feeling for her. She felt sorry for those who had to spend their whole life in this way, because to her it was hell.

She felt she needed to pour her heart out to someone, and oddly enough, she didn't want to tell Shadow or Sonic. She needed to talk to a girl. But not Anne, or Amy. Someone who had possibly had this kind of insanity during adolescence.

Gwen felt it was time for a nice, long talk with mom.

* * *

OMG. She wants to talk with her mom?! LOL. R&R,

~ GABL


	18. Sonic Sees With New Eyes

And I want to thank the reviewers, including the anonymous reviewer. You guys are awesome!

Anyway, this chapter is very important. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Gwen slowly opened her front door and stepped into the main hall. She could hear her mother's voice coming from the den. She was probably on the phone with one of her friends. Her feet soared toward the room and she stood in the doorway.

"No, I totally understand that," her mother said to whoever was on the other end of the line, her back to Gwen. "She's going through it too. Every girl has to, you know what I'm saying?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. Now granted, her mom was still young, and she could get away with it better, but it irked her whenever her mom tried to sound... well, young.

Her mother chuckled. "Honey, I could hear BOTH of them last night. They shook the whole house. She's obviously reached that point, and I'm cool with it." There was a pause as her friend babbled something. "Gwen's 14, almost 15. Technically, she can move out right now if she wanted to. But I have a feeling she wants to stay here. She's made tons of friends at school, and of course, Shadow's her mate now. I can't do much about that, after all."

Gwen's fur bristled._ Shit. Mom knows I've had sex with him! We should've been more careful. She's right; we made tons of racket last night._

Just then, her mom turned and saw Gwen. "Hey, she just got home, I'll call you back later. Bye." She shut her cell phone. "Hi, Gwen. How was school?"

"Dreadful," Gwen said without hesitation.

"Well what happened that was so dreadful?" Her mother asked this with a slight smile. "Here, come sit down and tell me."

Once Gwen was seated, she told her mother about what had happened over the past month, except for the part about Shadow being a vampire. She knew that was one secret that she had to guard with her life. And she didn't go into extreme detail on the mating ceremony, either. After all, she was here. Her mother knew how it went.

But other than that, her mother now knew everything: that Shadow had been sleeping with her, that Sonic was a pervert, about how Amy behaved around Sonic, everything. Her mother sat there, leaning forward in her armchair and hanging on to every word without uttering a sound.

"And then there's this insanity that sprung up today," she continued. "I feel like I'm possessed by some kind of demon, like I don't have any control over my own actions. I completely blew up at Sonic, and I don't even remember why." She slowed to a halt, having nothing else to comment on.

"Hm," her mother said. She sighed and clasped her hands in front of her. "You know Gwen... I knew that Shadow had been with you every night already, and that you had made love with him yesterday, and I'm okay with both of those things, but Sonic's behavior... in my opinion you need to tell him to stop now. Tell him it's impolite and that you feel uncomfortable. As for Amy, that's her problem, not yours.

"Now your mood swings today," she moved on. "They're perfectly normal for the first day after having sex. It's just like bleeding more than usual during your period. It can happen from time to time."

She stood from her armchair and turned to look out the window. "Now I need to ask you something. Are you happy with Shadow?"

"What?"

"Are your feelings for Shadow the hedgehog real, or merely based on how sexy he looks? Do you enjoy spending time with him without thinking of how beautiful he is, or do you focus on his muscles instead of what he has to say? Are you truly in love with him?"

Gwen blinked; it took her a few minutes to answer the question. "Yes, of course I am. I wouldn't trade him for any other boy. Ever."

Her mother gave her a long look. "Did you use the gift I gave you?"

"Gift?"

"Yes. The box of condoms that I put under the bed. Did you use the condoms?"

Gwen's heart stopped for a minute, and she scrambled for a response. "Yes."

"Then I think you made the right decision in taking up the black and red hedgehog as a mate," her mother replied. "If you're happy, if you're truly, genuinely happy, then so am I." She smiled and exited the den.

Gwen couldn't move. She could barely breathe. The same three words ran through her head over and over.

_Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..._

She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and her stomach made a strange wrenching motion. Luckily she made it to the toilet in time before she threw up pretty much everything in her stomach.

A few minutes later, she pressed speed dial 3 on her phone.

"Gwen?"

"Shadow, I'm such an idiot," Gwen croaked, sparkling tears flowing from her eyes. "We didn't use condoms. I've gotta be pregnant."

- - - - -

Sonic paced across his room impatiently. He had to wait for the right time to go Gwen's home, even though it was extremely painful. _If the clock doesn't go any faster I'm bound to rip someone's throat out._

Finally, it ticked over to 6 PM, and he blasted out the door with even greater speed than usual. He soared to Gwen's house and skidded to a stop outside her front door. He knocked as calmly as he could, going over his plan in his mind.

Her mother opened the door. "Hello," she said, smiling slightly. "What can I do for you, Sonic?"

"Is Gwen around?" Sonic asked.

Her mother's smile flattened slightly. "She's upstairs in her room, but I think she's on the phone. You can try to get her attention." She stepped to the side to let him pass.

It killed him to walk as slowly as he did, but he took each step on the staircase with careful ease. He could smell her hormones from down the hallway, but they almost seemed like the wrong kind of hormones. They weren't... fresh. They had a slightly stale scent, not the same smell he'd been around for the past two months and had dreamed of at night.

He opened the door where the scent radiated strongest and stepped into Gwen's bedroom.

The first thing he noticed was that the air was balmy, like in a spa room where they have steam shooting from all over the place. She had the heat cranked up, apparently.

At first he couldn't find her, then he saw her sitting in a corner, facing where the two walls met. She was hunched over, curved almost into a ball, and her bare back glinted from sweat.

Then he realized she was sobbing into her cell phone. "But what are we going to do? I'm not ready for this yet! YOU'RE not ready for this yet! We're screwed for LIFE!" Her voice was rough, as if she'd been screaming for hours.

She turned her head to see who had dared come in and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Um, Shadow, I'll have to call you back." She shut her phone. "What are you doing here, Sonic?!"

"I..." Now that he saw what kind of state she was in, he wasn't sure how to ask. "I... I was wondering how you were feeling. You were kind of crackbrained earlier today."

Her eyes teared up. "I'm better now, thanks for asking."

"You look like you need a hug," Sonic said with a smile, and reached his arms out. "Come on. Friend hug." He felt himself perk up, and desperately hoped she couldn't see his cock trying to poke out through his pants.

Gwen seemed to curl into a slightly tighter ball. "I can't right now."

"Why not?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to know? Okay." She stood and turned to face him, hands on hips.

Sonic's jaw dropped along with his arms.

"I know," she said. "I'm naked."

"You're more beautiful than I ever imagined." He stepped closer, and could have sworn that his balls started to tingle.

She took a step back, one arm over her breasts and the other covering her crotch. "I can't let you come near me."

"But why?"

"You'll kill me," she said, grabbing a black T-shirt and shorts and putting them on before continuing. "I know you want to mate with me. I've known it since our first date. But if I let you make love with me, then I'll die."

"How could I kill you by having sex with you?"

She took a deep breath as the truth tumbled from her mouth. "It's the fourth paragraph of Basic Mobian Anatomy, Chapter 7, Lesson 2. If a girl hedgehog mates twice with two different guy hedgehogs within the same mating season, the second male's semen is like a fatal poison. If you have sex with me, it'll go straight to my heart and stop it, because I've already FOUND my mate."

Sonic was numbed as the truth sank in. "Was it Shadow?"

Gwen nodded. "Yesterday. It explains the crazy fit I threw at you earlier. Sonic, I'm so sorry about that. I had no control, truly."

Sonic stood, staring at her apologetic eyes, unable to accept it. The numb feeling melted away and was replaced by thick anger. "It's all his fault," he growled. "If you had never met him, you would still be with me right now, and this whole mess would have never started. Damn him to fucking hell."

"He's already damned," Gwen said. "We're both damned."

"What do you mean? I can't imagine you being damned."

"It was unprotected sex. We didn't use condoms. And judging by the fact that it's March, there's no way I CAN'T be pregnant."

Sonic's jaw dropped for the second time in 10 minutes. "What were you thinking, Gwen?!"

"That's just it," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "The ceremony started immediately after Shadow asked about it. There was no time to think.

"You're just as happy as I am about this, Sonic. Shadow's not so pleased, either. He doesn't want to become a father this early, and I want to finish my education, not be a drop-out teenage mom! Besides, I wouldn't know how to react to a CONDOM. I've never seen one before in my life! I didn't look inside the box of them my mom bought me, I just shoved them in my sock drawer!

"But you know what?" Gwen asked, her voice rising and her tone venomous. "You know what?! Go ahead. Rape me, right now. Be a pervert. Say dirty things about my body. Touch me, beat me with your strong hands. Hell, for all I care, rape SHADOW and be gay about it! He wanted an excuse to kill you, anyway. This would be his perfect chance. You could give me anything but love."

That's when Sonic cracked. He reached his arms deep into her sock drawer, grabbed the little box of condoms, and blasted through Gwen's window, shattering it and leaving behind a trail of broken glass.

Even he was surprised when he found himself at Amy's house. He rang the doorbell, and Amy answered. Her eyes widened. "Sonic?!"

There was no time for her to protest before Sonic scooped her up into his arms bridal style and bolted up the stairs.

- - - - -

"Okay, so what exactly is happening again?" Amy asked as she sat on the bed, watching Sonic on the floor. He had opened the box of birth control and was trying to make sense of everything.

"I'm pretty much making your dreams come true," Sonic replied, spreading everything out on the floor. "You've always wanted to have sex with me, after all."

Amy's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You're going to fuck me?!"

"Basically," Sonic mumbled, feeling his face grow slightly red. He looked at the box again, his eyebrows furrowing. "This looks so complicated."

"Well what did you expect, numbnuts?" Amy said, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Sonic. Who needs a piece of plastic getting between us when we can have the real thing?" She smiled on the last 3 words.

"I am not gonna get you pregnant at 12, almost 13 years old."

Amy huffed and sat on her bed until Sonic finally made sense of the condom and put it on. The mood lighting was set, and Sonic and Amy looked at each others' naked bodies. Sonic grinned with a wink. "Let's do this."

Amy reached out her hand and wrapped her fingers around the smooth flesh of his cock, feeling it through the thin plastic of the condom. Now she knew he didn't feel dirty about this. After all, once Sonic got horny, there was no stopping him. "Let's do this," she echoed, stepping closer and closing her eyes.

* * *

Yay! Finally, some Sonamy, and they're serious about this too ;) R&R,

~ GABL


	19. Waiting

*gasp* YES! I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Guys I am so freaking sorry. I had COMPLETELY forgotten about this whole story. I couldn't find my little flash drive to transfer the chapters to my laptop that has Internet.

But here's some good news: I hooked up the Internet to my writing laptop, so now I don't need the stinkin' flash drive! ^_^ I GOT SHMART! XD

And guess what else: we are so close to the end of this book! We have 19 chapters, and there's... 25 total! OMFG. It's quite saddening, really, because I won't get to update this story any more after the last chapter TT__TT So sad.

Okies, this chapter is terrifyingly short and horrible (LESS THAN 1000 WORDS! :o), but it has some importance to it. **

* * *

**Of course, Gwen ended up being the one paying for the broken window out of her own pocket. But that wasn't her top worry, since she knew she had the money.

She now had to endure 11 heart-stopping days of waiting. Waiting for results, waiting for symptoms, waiting for her doctor's appointment, waiting for the painful confirmation that she was, indeed, carrying a child. She barely ate, and she only drank when forced to by Shadow. She seemed to become thinner by the hour, and her quills and skin grew more pale gray every day. She couldn't tell the difference between hunger pains and migraines.

Everyone was terrified for her. Someone was always standing near her whenever she walked, ready to catch her if she ever fell over on her weak, unsteady legs. It greatly annoyed her, but she endured it anyway; they were just trying to keep her safe.

It was unlike anything her mother had ever seen before. "Everything's backwards," she sobbed on the tenth day, when Gwen's health was collapsing. Strange hallucinations and dizziness kept her in the bed, and she couldn't keep a single thing down before seeing it again face-to-face seconds later. She began coughing blood. "It's all wrong."

Her mother had been a plump, jubilant girl when she was pregnant with Gwen, with blushing cheeks and a happy grin. Gwen hadn't shown delight once.

Between Gwen and Shadow, they felt it was because of what Shadow was. Maybe when a vampire mated, it didn't have the same effect that a normal male would have on his girl. Maybe it was all Shadow's fault. Maybe it was even fatal.

They tried desperately to not think that Gwen could die, but everyone knew deep down that the possibilities of that were growing stronger every day, that every minute, Gwen was crawling closer to Death's Door.

- - - - -

It was the 11th morning.

All was chaos. Shadow was trying to get Gwen dressed, her mother was fretting over every little detail, and everyone was joyous that they might finally learn what was wrong with Gwen.

"No dear, you're still doing it wrong," her mother said to Shadow, who was desperate to figure out how the hell Gwen's shirt was supposed to go on her. Gwen sat there like a sleeping mannequin on her bed, just wearing a bra and jeans, while Shadow's fingers were shaking more than a massage chair.

"Why don't YOU do this?" Shadow told his mother-in-law, throwing the shirt at her. "Since I obviously can't do it right. And I'M not even dressed yet!" It was true; he was just in his briefs, and of course, he had in his blue contacts to conceal his vampirism.

"Fine, I'll do it, and you go get some clothes on," her mother said and slipped the shirt over Gwen's head with ease as Shadow ran out of the room.

Gwen's eyes were barely open, but she could definitely see the black and red hedgehog leave the room. "Sh... Shadow... where'd... you go..." she murmured.

"He's fine, he's just getting ready so that you two can find out what's making you so ill," her mother reassured in a soft voice.

"Oh, great joy," Gwen said sarcastically. She chuckled slightly, her thin lips curving up into a tiny smile.

Her mother turned behind her and saw Shadow standing there, now fully dressed. "That was quick. Well," she said, rising to her feet. "You want to help her to your car? Or are you gonna make the old lady do it?"

"You're not old, ma'am," Shadow said with a smile and threw one of Gwen's arms over his shoulder and gently pulling her to the floor.

She collapsed and he ended up carrying her to his car, buckling her in, and then unbuckling her when he realized she wasn't wearing her jacket. Then they finally left the driveway and were on their way to Tails's house.

* * *

*gasps again* LOL. R&R!

~ GABL


	20. The Big News

God, what is it with me and short chapters nowadays?! Grr! *sigh* Well at least this one is a teensy bit longer than the one before it. **

* * *

**Tails, in a long white doctor's coat, inspected the clipboard in his hands, occasionally glancing at Gwen and Shadow, who were seated next to each other and holding hands, staring up at him. "Hm."

Gwen found herself mentally screaming, _WILL YOU JUST FUCKING TELL US IF I'M ABOUT TO DIE OR NOT!_ But instead, she looked up at the ceiling light, looking at the little pink ponies and blue dinosaurs that danced through the light. Of course, they weren't real, but she didn't know that. She was sick.

After a few very long minutes, Tails wrote something on the clipboard and Gwen's attention snapped back to him with the next words. "Yep, you are definitely pregnant, according to these pictures."

Shadow felt tears in his eyes, but he blinked them back. He was not going to let it show until they were alone.

Gwen, on the other hand, was already letting the crystalline salt drops slide down her cheeks. "And what about these symptoms? Are they part of the pregnancy?"

"It appears that there was some kind of virus in Shadow's semen at the time that you mated with him. Luckily, his family records show no history of HIV or other STDs. I'm going to have to give both of you a shot to kill it, however. It's going to hurt."

Gwen and Shadow clenched their hands together in unison, and they looked into each others' eyes. "I'll go first," Shadow offered quietly.

"I don't care either way," she replied. "If it keeps my baby and me alive, I'll take it any day."

- - - - -

Even as they drove home, Gwen started feeling much better, except for the sharp pain from the shot a few inches below her belly button, and the occasional tickling shiver that ran down her spine whenever the word "baby" came into her mind. Some color began returning to her quills and skin, and her irises looked less like rusted metal and more like their natural chocolate brown. And for the first time in nearly two weeks, she wanted to eat more than two bites of food.

As for Shadow... let's just say he wasn't as fortunate. He got his shot right where it hurts. For the first time in his entire life, he envied the female race. He told Gwen so as he drove, and she just laughed her ass off.

Everyone back at home was joyous when they saw that Gwen had improved so well in such a short time, and when Gwen shared her life changing news, her mother began sobbing tears of happiness. Soon, every girl in the room was crying and grabbing at Gwen and congratulating her. It was a very wet crowd of people.

"Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!"

"I can't believe it!"

"You're truly really pregnant?"

And: "You did it, Shadow! You finally knocked up a girl!"

"Shut up, Amy..."

Everyone laughed at Shadow's response. He scooped Gwen up into his arms and zipped with her up the stairs. They were both getting a bit claustrophobic, surrounded by sobbing women.

Amy ran to Sonic's side, grinning from ear to ear; he stood staring after Shadow and Gwen, his expression blank. "Isn't this just great, Sonic?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, not really hearing her.

Amy's smile faded slowly. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I just wish I had made it to Gwen before Shadow had."

Amy grabbed Sonic's arms and turned him to face her. "That's the past. You're my mate now, and I'm yours. Nothing can change that." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss on the mouth.

His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him, and his tongue entwined with hers. Sonic knew exactly how Shadow felt now. It was an amazing feeling, to be in love. To be truly in love, through the natural mating decision, and not be in love because of how voluptuous the girl is.

Truly, Sonic thought nothing of Amy's body. Except for the five hours that he was inside of it just two weeks before. And that was a whole different ball game.

- - - - -

Upstairs, Gwen and Shadow were sitting together on her bed, trying to grasp the complexity and beauty of their future.

Shadow was having a harder time catching on to the fact that his girlfriend was now a mother, and that she was going to lose some of the wild essence that made her such a naughty sex toy in his eyes.

All Gwen could focus on was names. Many, many names, soaring through her mind, like little paper airplanes screaming "PICK ME! I'M NOT AS DORKY AS THE ONE NEXT TO ME!"

She began making a list. "Honey," Shadow said with a teasing tone to his voice. "We don't need to worry about that quite yet. We've got 9 months."

"Better early than never," she replied, not looking up from the paper she was scribbling on. Already she had written nearly 10 names that she knew.

About 5 minutes later, she had a lengthy chart with girl and boy names on it, and just seconds later, she and Shadow decided on Aubrey for a girl, and Seth for a boy. They were Shadow's favorites off of the list, and Gwen trusted his judgement; part of being a good mate meant having trust in your spouse.

Shadow's hand slipped into hers, and they smiled at each other. They had a long path ahead of them, and they were ready to walk it together, no matter how difficult it became. They would make it through.

* * *

The ending just sounds so freaking cheesy to me... oh well. R&R!

~ GABL


	21. The Nine Months

Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that short chapters are becoming a tradition? =_= But I love this chapter. So... yeah.**

* * *

**The months passed. Gwen slowly grew larger and larger, and also tireder and tireder, even though the horrible symptoms from the first 11 days had passed completely. What little sleep she did get she took with gratitude, but it was never enough to keep her at her best, and most days she was slightly cranky.

It became harder and harder every day to do the simplest things. Gwen needed Shadow's help to tie her shoes, just because she couldn't see her own feet over her belly.

Plus, she was positively STARVING all the time! Almost every minute she was asking for more food, more food. Because her mother was always out of the house, Shadow was the cook now, constantly running to the kitchen to make some popcorn or get a yogurt cup for Gwen. He watched her devour anything he put in front of her in amazement. _Her insides must be the size of a whale, what with holding a baby and so much food. _

Gwen kept telling herself she could make it, that she could beat this out. But nearing the seventh month, she didn't know if she could last much longer. She was running out of steam, and she didn't know how to replenish herself. The constant food wasn't helping. It was just adding extra pounds to her body.

At one point, she suggested abortion to Shadow. "Are you fucking crazy?!" Shadow had blown up in her face. "This is our child, our first, our flesh and blood. And you're saying you just want someone to stick a needle up into your junk and inject poison into our BABY?! That's barbaric!"

Gwen cringed; she hadn't thought of abortion that way. Nevertheless, she knew Shadow was right. The baby was the center of everyone's attention. Her whole world was revolving around the little kicking body inside her, like the way Mobius's moons orbited them.

And even though it didn't seem like it too often, she truly loved her baby to death. It was part of her, part of Shadow.

She couldn't let it go. She refused to.

- - - - -

"Shadow, I can't do this," Gwen sobbed. "I can't have sex NOW, I'm nine months pregnant!"

Gwen and Shadow were laying in the bed, facing each other. Gwen's huge pregnant midriff was the only thing separating them. A tear slid down Gwen's cheek, and Shadow's face was pleading. "Gwen honey, you know it's one of the only things that delivers satisfaction to me, besides the taste of your blood."

"Well, you're definitely not going to be drinking me right now, I have a baby to take care of. We don't want to make me sick."

"You didn't answer my first question," Shadow pointed out.

"I said no the first TIME. That's final."

Shadow pouted and looked away, his expression pitiful. "Fine. I'll never have my way anymore, I guess."

Gwen's eyes widened, and her tone turned guilty. "Oh, Shadow... I didn't mean that."

She inhaled sharply suddenly and groaned, her jaw clenched and eyes squeezed shut, fighting back tears. Shadow, obviously, panicked slightly, his pouty mood forgotten. "What?! What happened?!"

Gwen was breathing heavily, her forehead beginning to dew with sweat. "Nothing. Baby's just very strong. That's all. Kicking. I think it's gonna be on a soccer team."

Shadow sat up in the bed. "Ouch. Do you need a painkiller?"

Gwen kept hugging her pillow. "Yes. Put your clothes back on and fetch one for me, please."

Shadow crawled off the edge of the bed and slipped his pants on, looking behind him at Gwen. She seemed to be calming down, and she laid flat on her back, putting her pillow behind her head. Her eyes began to close. "You tired?"

Gwen spoke shakily. "Yeah. Dizzy too. I can't really think straight." After a few minutes, she sat up and grabbed her shorts from the floor. She put them on and tried to get out of the bed, but fell and gasped, clutching the underside of her stomach.

"You should lay down, Gwen."

"I need water," she insisted. She tried to stand again and failed.

"Lay down," Shadow said firmly.

"But... Gr. Fine." Gwen hauled herself back onto her bed and pulled the covers over her as Shadow left the room to get her a painkiller. Seconds later, he was back and holding out the little pill with a plastic cup of water.

After finishing off the water, Gwen laid back down and groaned slightly. "What is it?" Shadow asked her.

"My head hurts. So tired... So cold." Her eyes slid closed. Shadow rubbed her cheek with his finger, but instead of getting a sleepy smile in response, she just lay there.

A slow panic rose within him. He put his ear to her mouth to make absolutely sure she was still breathing. She was, but it was extremely faint, even for his superior vampire hearing. "Gwen? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

He knew exactly what he had to do, who to go to. He threw on the rest of his clothes, put a teal sweater and a pair of jeans on Gwen, and picked her up gently. Through all of this she didn't budge or open her eyes. He leapt out the window into the dark blue night.

He landed lightly on his feet, barely jostling his mate, who still had not awaken. He sprinted quickly to his car, buckled her in, and flew around to the driver's seat. He revved the engine and took off.

Before they made it to the main road, Shadow was dialing his cell phone with one thumb. "Come on, damn it, pick it up!"

There was a pause, then a click from the phone on the opposite end. "Hello?" The voice was groggy from being woke up.

"Sonic, it's me. I don't know what's wrong but--"

"Is Gwen okay?" Sonic suddenly sounded alert.

"Let me finish, bastard. I hope she is. I'm on my way to Tails's house."

"Okay, I'll meet you there." Sonic hung up, and Shadow dialed Tails's number with rapid speed.

"Shadow, it's the middle of the night! Is something wrong?"

"Something might be. I'm stopping by."

"Okay. I'm waiting."

Shadow closed his phone and slammed on the gas pedal. Gwen still didn't stir as Shadow sped off into the night toward Tails's house. If she didn't wake up soon...

* * *

Oh God. R&R!

~ GABL


	22. Birth

Important (if SHORT) chapter, people! It took me so long to figure out what I was going to do with this one...  


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Gwen was lying on a new bed, eyes closed. She wore a loose fitting, light blue dress. It looked like one a patient might wear in a doctor's office. The monitor to her left was slowly going, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. She looked quite peaceful, except for the occasional twitch or moan, and she was panting. Her hand reached for the top of her belly slowly, maybe to comfort the child inside her.

Shadow sat on the wooden chair next to her, watching her intently. Tails entered the room, looking extremely serious in his white doctor's coat. "How is she?" Tails asked.

"She hasn't changed," Shadow said wearily, his eyelids beginning to droop from exhaustion. "But I think she's dreaming. She moved a few seconds ago."

"Try waking her up again. She might respond."

Shadow reached out his hand to her and gently pulled on her arm where there were no tubes sticking out. "Gwen? Gwen, can you hear me?" he asked softly.

"_Gwen, can you hear me?" _The words swam in her head for a moment, then her eyes fluttered open slightly to see the blank gray ceiling above her. She looked around to see Shadow and Tails staring at her, relief in their eyes. "Where am I?"

She inhaled sharply suddenly, and her eyes snapped open. She let out a scream for a second and began to breathe harder. A translucent puddle spread across the bed as her water broke. Her friends began piling into the room: Amy, Sonic, Anne, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, Alex, Cosmo. Everyone who had been for her over the past 9 months was there, except for her mother.

"What's happened?!" Amy asked frantically.

"Let's just say that we've got a visitor, and they're not coming by stork," Tails responded, running out of the room for a few minutes.

Tears welled in Amy's eyes and she sobbed into Sonic's chest. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, watching Gwen. Tails came back in with a syringe and inserted the needle into her body, jamming down the button, then pulling it out quickly.

"What did you just do, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Drugged her. Just painkillers."

Sonic came over to Tails's side and murmured into his ear, "You know I have to ask. Have you ever delivered a child before?"

"Only once before," the fox replied under his breath. "But they're happy and alive today, so no trouble." Then Tails raised his voice to a yell. "If anybody here is sensitive to blood, LEAVE NOW!"

Blaze left the room, Cosmo, Anne, and Knuckles following close behind, all with a look of "Good luck" in their eyes. Tails turned to Shadow, who had not budged from his side of the bed. "I can handle it," the hedgehog growled, his teeth clenched.

Gwen turned her head slowly to look at Shadow. "Hold my hand," she gasped.

He slipped his hand into hers. Tails came around to Gwen's other side to look into her eyes. "I need you to push when I give you the signal, okay?"

Gwen nodded. Tails put a towel at Gwen's pelvis and put on a pair of plastic gloves. He gently maneuvered her legs until they were suspended in the air.

One final word from Tails, and Gwen's whole destiny was sealed.

"NOW!"

- - - - -

Nearly a day later, Gwen was asleep again. Sonic held something wrapped in soft towels in his arms while Shadow had a moment outside of the room, where there wasn't as much blood. It was harder to be in there than he thought-so many hormones.

When Shadow finally felt a little better, he entered the room and took the little bundle from Sonic to see his baby for the first time.

It was more beautiful than he ever thought it would be. Its eyes were a beautiful shade of gold-the same color gold that Shadow's eyes had been before his transformation into a vampire. The baby's fur was a coal black, with sky blue stripes that were slightly tinted with Gwen's blood.

Emotions like Shadow had never experienced before welled up inside him. This baby was mostly him, and yet still had hints of the girl he loved in it. He absolutely adored this child.

Tails's voice brought Shadow back to reality. "Shadow, give me the baby."

The baby's eyes flickered to Shadow and widened. Then suddenly, it smiled at him-just a curving up of the lips, nothing more, but it still made Shadow's eyes water. He handed the baby over to Tails and he took it to another room. The child began to cry-a frightening sound, and, Shadow knew, one that he would be hearing a lot for a while.

Tails entered the room again, crossed to Shadow, and shook his hand while keeping a hold on the baby with his other arm. "Congratulations, Shadow the Hedgehog. You have a son."

Shadow's smile grew impossibly wider, and his tears began to slowly go down his face. He looked at his child who had stopped crying again when he saw his daddy. "Hello, Seth."

Tails looked at Gwen, asleep on the bed. She was soaked in blood, but it wasn't anything Shadow couldn't handle-the hedgehog was a tough soul compared to others of his kind. "I think we should keep Gwen and Seth here for a few days. She had a very rough time, and I'm sure she will recover faster if medical supplies are close at hand."

Shadow nodded, fully agreeing, and Tails left the room, the door shutting softly behind him. Gwen's eyelids fluttered open, and she met Shadow's eyes. "Where is he? Where's my son?"

"Seth will be back soon, no worries, love." Shadow kissed her forehead, then each of her cheeks, and finally softly on the lips.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Get a room."

* * *

^_^ R&... do I have to say it?

~ GABL


	23. Transform

Finally! A chapter of reasonable length!

This is another important one, too. And (this is saddening) there's only two more chapters after this. So, savor it, worship it, love it! LMAO. **

* * *

**The first six weeks or so were not as hard as Gwen and Shadow thought they would be. Seth turned out to be a quiet baby, and was an all-night sleeper from the start... as long as he slept with his parents. Gwen and Shadow, every night, would lay in the bed making a narrow V shape: their feet touched, and their heads were spread apart. Seth slept in the middle of them, close to Gwen if he ever had to have a midnight nursing.

The two happy parents hadn't felt better in their lives. Now that Gwen's horribly tough pregnancy was over, they could at least PARTIALLY have a life together. They couldn't go night clubbing, of course, but they watched their favorite movies at home when Seth was starting to doze off for his nap.

Other than that, all that was on their minds was their child. Seth was a routinely sort of baby; he generally fed every 3 hours, and had a 2 and a half hour morning and afternoon nap. He was so happy all the time that it was almost too easy for Gwen and Shadow to take care of him.

However, like any happy ending, like any normal life, these good times were coming to an end by the seventh week, just days short of Gwen's 15th birthday on the 19th of December. A fatal plague was sweeping across Mobius, and she caught it. More often than not for about 3 days, she was throwing up and had a very high fever, 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal. She was kept in an infirmary at Tails's house, and nobody mortal could come near her unless they had a few masks on and lots of hand sanitizer.

Things were looking pretty bad, and even on Gwen's 15th birthday, it didn't seem like she was going to make it. She was worse than she had been on her first 11 days of carrying Seth.

This was a battle, a fight to the death. Gwen was determined to push through, but she had no sword, no shield. Even Shadow couldn't help her. She was all alone now.

- - - - -

Shadow the Fucking Lucky Vampire was immune to this plague, and could come in whenever he felt like it. He brought a small cupcake into the room where Gwen was being kept on her birthday. It had a small, lit candle stuck in it. Gwen lay on the bed, looking pale and sweating. She was wrapped up in multiple quilts, and her fever still wouldn't break. She smiled slightly when she saw the cupcake, and made a light motion with her hands to bring it closer to her. When she was close enough, she blew with what little strength she had, and the candle flickered. Shadow blew it out for her and set the cupcake, a small string of smoke still floating above it, onto the bedside table and sat on the chair next to her, looking into her eyes. By her condition, this might be the last time he could look into those chocolate eyes while they were still alive and shining. "How are you feeling?"

"Does that question really need to be answered?" Gwen breathed, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I'm going to die. This very may be the last day of my life."

Shadow looked at the floor. "Not necessarily." When he looked up, he saw 2 bloodshot, brown eyes staring back at him in confusion. "There is one thing we could do."

"What is there left?"

Shadow raised his hand. He nodded to it and said, "Your neck." He then bit it.

Gwen's eyes widened. "You mean transformation? Into a vampire?"

He nodded, his eyes grave. "During the transformation, all scars or health problems you have will cease to exist. You won't be sick anymore. The plague will be cleansed from your body by my venom."

Gwen stared at him. The bite would be the most painful thing she would ever experience in her life. She would scream, fight, cry. She would want the pain to end, for someone to put her out of her misery. To rip her from life like a photograph being torn in half.

Then images of those she loved flew through her head: Sonic... Shadow... Seth... Amy... Anne... her mother... if she didn't receive the bite, these people would no longer exist to her.

She nodded and braced herself. "Do it."

Shadow stood from his chair and leaned over her slowly, ready to jump back in case she changed her mind at the last second. His mouth opened and his fangs extended, then he went for her throat. He bit it several times in several places so that she could get as much venom as possible in the quickest amount of time.

As soon as Gwen felt the tips of Shadow's teeth poke through her skin, searing heat shot through her veins, going right to her fingertips and toes. Her hands clenched into fists and she screamed louder than she had ever screamed in her life. She fought, she kicked, she ripped at the blankets; she did everything she had expected herself to do with great fury. Yet Shadow continued to pump venom into her, pump life, just like he had pumped semen into her body when Seth was conceived.

Down the hall, everyone was solemnly talking, knowing that Gwen would not last much longer. Then, when she screamed, Sonic jumped from his seat and blasted through the door, shoving masks onto his face at the last minute.

Shadow pulled away at the speed of lightning, covering his mouth with his hand. Blood dripped from his face and landed with soft plops on the hardwood floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO GWEN?!" Sonic roared in his face; Gwen was still thrashing on the bed, her bright red blood streaking across the previously white bedsheets. She began shaking, like she was having a seizure.

"Do you want her to live?!" Shadow yelled back, his fangs still poking out and venom glossing them.

Sonic's eyes widened, and he leaped back against the wall. "You DIDN'T!"

"Sonic, it's the only way she can..." Before Shadow finished his sentence, Sonic had thrown the ball of his hand into Shadow's nose, sending him crashing into the opposite wall. Shadow shot back at him, kicking him in the nuts. When Sonic yelled in agony, Shadow began punching his body with all his strength. He jumped onto Sonic's back and began beating on the top of his head, smashing his face into the floor repeatedly. He knew he had more energy and motivation than blue boy, and he didn't care if he hurt him so bad it killed him. The vampire hedgehog wanted him dead so badly.

A loud yell broke them from their dogfight. "STOP IT!" It came from Gwen, who had stopped screaming and thrashing just seconds earlier. Her eyelids flickered and closed, and she stopped breathing. She lay on the bed, a lifeless corpse who was still dripping blood from the little puncture wounds in her neck.

Shadow rushed to her side, leaving Sonic beaten on the floor; he tried to stand up on nearly broken legs, but ended up dragging himself with his arms over to Gwen, leaving a thin trail of blood across the floor. "What's wrong with her?" he asked in a rough voice.

"This is normal," Shadow said blankly. "She'll pass out and stop breathing for about a day. When she wakes up..."

There was silence. "She'll be one of you," Sonic finished.

"Yes."

"Then I guess there's nothing else I can do," Sonic said. He tried to drag himself out the door, then turned to look at Shadow. "Err... a little help, please? I kinda sorta can't stand up by myself."

Shadow threw Sonic's arm around his neck and walked slowly down the hallway, down the stairs. For the first time in a long time, Shadow felt guilty about what he had just done to him. It wasn't right. If Seth saw him do that, he might think that was okay to do, and then start beating everyone up.

As Tails inspected Sonic downstairs, Shadow sat by Gwen's bed, watching, waiting, waiting for some sort of sign that he would hear her breathe again.

- - - - -

Her mind was foggy; she couldn't remember where she was, who she was, what had happened. All she remembered was pain, absolutely horrifying pain. There was a burning sensation deep in the back of her throat, and she was hungry.

She wanted to open her eyes, to see if maybe by looking around she could remember something, but she was so tired. She could hear whispers coming from down the hallway, and feel the fibers of blankets against her skin. She took a shuddering breath.

Suddenly, she could hear someone sigh in relief. "Gwen," the voice, unmistakably Shadow's, said.

That single word brought back a flood of memories. Her eyelids fluttered for a second, then Gwen the Hedgehog opened her new bright red eyes for the first time.

* * *

Wh00p Wh00p! R&R!

~ GABL


	24. Fifteen Years Later

I can't believe my story has over 20 reviews. I wasn't expecting to even get 5 from my real life friends on here! Again, I want thank...

Bella Cullen-Luckier Than You,

Yoshi 2.1,

Grape Stripe,

BlazingStarz,

the anonymous user who reviewed chapter 16,

Blodh Skolir,

and GoddessGidrah29 for reviewing...

even if you only posted one review! Every review makes me feel like someone cares about my writing. (And not to make anyone feel bad, but Yoshi is, easily, my new favorite cyberfriend for posting so many kind reviews and keeping me going XD)

I also can't believe the story is almost over... 24 chapters up! Out of 25! This has been an amazing journey, and I've been driven on by my faithful readers. I love you guys so frikin' much w

Damn, I'm turning into such a sap...

OH YEAH! Also, I've got a poll up on my page that I want you to vote on! It's very important... to me, at least :)**  
**

So, enjoy the next-to-last chapter!

**

* * *

**

To everyone who didn't know Gwen's new secret, including her mother, it was a miracle that she had overcome the plague when no one else in the region had. After the first couple of days of battling the overwhelming blood lust, Gwen was allowed to leave Tails's home as long as Shadow stayed by her side.

The first thing she did was move out of her mother's house to go live with Shadow in his larger, much nicer home, perfect for a growing family. She wore emerald green contacts to make her eyes look brown, and while they didn't have the same chocolatey look, it was going to have to do.

Her mother sobbed as Gwen put photos into one box, books in another, miscellaneous toys in a third, and DVD's and CD's in a fourth. Her clothes would be moved later. "Please daughter," she blubbered, choking on her tears. "Please stay with me just a little longer."

Gwen shut off the smell sense in her nose - a trick that she had learned from Shadow - as she took a deep breath to control herself. "I want to live with my new family," she explained in a firm, restrained voice, keeping out the liquid tone that came with vampirism. "I'm allowed to move out. Hell, I was allowed to move out last year! Plus I don't want Seth keeping you awake at night."

The part about Seth wasn't exactly true. By Shadow's orders, Gwen wasn't allowed to come near her son until her thirst was completely down, so she hadn't seen him since before she caught the plague. But she kept a mental connection with him solely through the fact that they were blood related. She could sense when he was mad, when something interested him, when he was asleep. It was the only thing that kept her from sprinting to him at the speed of light and putting him at great risk. Luckily she'd be able to see him within the next few months if the speed at which her newborn vampire blood lust was decreasing kept the same consistency.

Her mother sniffled. "I think I understand. Just... keep in touch. For your old mom's sake."

"Sure, sure, whatever dude." Gwen taped up the boxes and loaded them all into one huge box. She stepped out of the room past her mother, who stared after her in disbelief.

When Gwen made it to Shadow's home, she felt a wave of love and welcome wash over her. She didn't have this in her old home.

- - - - -

"Seth's birthday is tomorrow," Gwen reminded her husband that night as she sipped from her glass of O positive.

It was 15 years later, and she sat on Shadow's granite kitchen counter, swinging her legs. Her new style that had come up over the years counteracted against her slightly childish behavior. Because of her increasingly voluptuous body, she had gotten a part-time job in a strip club. She was often wandering around the house in what she called 'work clothes'. This night, it was a revealing silver silk bra like top with matching short-shorts: innocent, compared to most of her pieces.

"Yes, it is," Shadow replied to her, reading his new novel that had recently come out. He was earning most of the money they had writing stories. Ironically enough, this first novel was a _Twilight_ spoof.

"Do you remember what you said several years ago?" Gwen asked him, putting her empty glass in the sink beside her. "You told me that you would transform our son when he turned 15."

He looked up. "I suppose I did," he said, remembering.

"You will keep your promise, correct?" Gwen smiled as she said this.

"Yes, of course I will." He stood and came over to his wife, kissing her on the cheek.

"You should get some rest," Gwen suggested. "This may be tough."

"It was definitely tough when YOU came to be this way," Shadow laughed, rubbing her tensed shoulders and nibbling on her ear, which had 3 hoop earrings in it. "And I think you should get some sleep, too. You need to decorate for tomorrow in the morning, remember?"

"Yes, how could I forget my own son's birthday?" She slipped off the counter and turned out the kitchen light. She and Shadow slowly went upstairs to bed.

As Gwen lay across from Shadow in her gown, still awake, she thought of her mother. She had died 2 months after Gwen was changed, and Gwen felt a pang of sadness hit her in her dead heart, just a reminder of the grief that she had felt when she saw her mother in a mahogany coffin, with a thin blanket of white rose petals covering her cold body and a photograph of Gwen's father, happy and alive, in her hand. The phrase "I'd rather die than have you out of my life" seemed to be quite literal in this situation.

She brushed a tear from her eye and sniffed. That was the past. She had a future, a future with Shadow, and of course Seth. She needn't ask for more.

- - - - -

Seth's alarm clock played the familiar annoying noise it always did before he slapped at the snooze button and rolled over in his bed onto his stomach, pulling the quilt over his head. It was his birthday; he should be allowed another 30 minutes of sleep.

No such thing. Gwen rapped on his door before opening it... well, tried to open it. There was so much junk on the floor she wondered how Seth could walk around. She shoved the door open, smashing clean and dirty clothes together and against the wall. She heard a bag of chips crunch softly. "Seth, honey," she sang. "Wake up, it's your birthday."

"I kinda figured that out," he replied, rolling onto his back again and opening his gold eyes to look at his mother. His thick black and blue quills were tangled together behind his head, and he scratched at one of them.

"Aren't you hungry?" Gwen asked him, smiling and knowing how large his appetite was. "There's breakfast downstairs on the table already. You're the only one in the house who eats it, you know, so come on down."

She was right, and Seth was ravenous, so he rolled out of bed, landing on his favorite Gibson. He ran down the stairs, the smell of scrambled eggs with sausage calling to him. They were his favorite.

As he dug into his food, Gwen stood by the fridge, drinking from a little travel size bottle of O positive. He didn't mind it. He was around blood so much that he was just used to the scent. "Shadow, come on down now," Gwen called up the stairs.

Seth looked up from his plate in time to see his father flit down the stairs, holding the largest cake that Seth had ever seen in his life. Shadow grinned as he set it on the table in front of him. "Happy birthday, kid."

"HOLY SHIT!" Seth screamed, knowing his parents didn't mind the language. "Dad, this is fucking amazing." He leaped from his chair and threw his arms and legs around his dad, who seemed more like an older brother in his eyes.

Shadow chuckled. "It was Gwen's idea, I just paid for it."

Seth looked over to his mom, a million 'thank you's in his eyes. "I love both of you to death."

Now it was Gwen's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, actually, your dad and I were talking about that last night."

He let go of Shadow and cocked his head to the side at Gwen, confused. "Talking about death, you mean?"

She fidgeted. "Not exactly death. Immortality."

"Seth," Shadow said. "We were thinking of making you one of us today. A vampire."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Question. Why today?"

"We just felt it was somewhat of a tradition of being bitten on our 15th birthdays. Your mother and I both were. I can understand if you're nervous," Shadow added.

"Not exactly NERVOUS," Seth replied. "This was just... unexpected. I guess I saw it coming, though. You guys can't resist my blood forever."

"Do you want to hold off for a while?" Shadow asked.

Seth thought for a moment. "No. You should do it today."

"If you wish."

Then he remembered something. "But what will Jade think?"

Shadow knew Jade to be Seth's mate. "She will understand. She loves you deeply."

"What if she's... not happy about it? She could be scared of me if I'm a blood drinker."

"I highly doubt that she would be frightened. It just made your mother more attracted than ever to me."

Seth grinned at Gwen, and followed his father out of the room.

"Wait, guys, hold up a second, I forgot to tell you something!" Gwen called out after them. They stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking back at her. "I got a new singing gig with some friends at the pub! We preform in two days!"

Shadow grinned. "Really? That's excellent!" He ran back to her and gave her a squeeze.

"What are you singing?" Seth asked.

Gwen smiled devilishly, and gave them two hints. "Shadow and I used to quote it all the time, and the last word is the name of my old favorite jelly."

Seth and Shadow looked at each other. Seth had no idea, but Shadow knew instantly, and he grinned again, looking back at his wife.

"I can't believe it. You're going to be in Lady Marmalade."

* * *

LMFAO R&R!


	25. A New Beginning

Wow. The last chapter. This took me forever to write. I don't want to end this story, I love it too much.

The song lyrics are from "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas. I do not own them.

Since I can't say anymore about this, I will stop talking and let you read.

* * *

Seth was transformed that day on his birthday.

Amazingly, he overcame his thirst much faster than anybody else Shadow knew had. He and Shadow felt it was because Shadow was a vampire when Seth was conceived. The wait was so short that he would be able to see Gwen's performance in the club. This made everyone joyous, especially Gwen, who felt he needed to get out of the house more anyway. He zoned out with his video games and his music too much in his room, though she didn't deny that he was amazing at playing the guitar.

The day that Gwen was going to sing, Seth walked into school - wearing contacts, of course - bragging about how he was going to a strip club that night. All of his buddies were giving him cheers.

Jade disapproved, however. She was a beautiful creature: part hedgehog, part cat, with lavender fur and huge gold eyes. She was petite, and nearly a head shorter than Seth at 14 years old. However, she was good at putting up a moderate, lady-like profile, even though she was a female singer in her friend's heavy metal band, who were known for explicit lyrics and screaming. "I can't believe you," she told him. "Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you can start going off partying at a STRIP CLUB!"

"Jade, honey," Seth said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Let me do this for once. There will be no girls there who could compete with your beauty. It's just my mom and a bunch of her friends. For God's sake, your mother's going to be there, too! I'll be surrounded by old women."

At this she let him go. She decided she was going to tag along with him, too, and he had no objection to that. _Anything to make my girl happy,_ he told himself.

- - - - -

The strobe lights pulsed through the air and made the Mobians multicolored as they jumped around to the music that the pub was famous for. Over to the side was a mini bar, offering shots of liquor. For many Mobians, it was quite apparent that they had hit that bar up a lot already, and the party was just beginning. In about half an hour, the 'Red Room' would be opening for service. Single men who wanted to get lucky would be running for it in flocks. All five of the pool tables were occupied by smoking foxes.

Easily, one of the main attractions was the band that was playing up on the stage: Seth's band, Vampire Children, who were preforming four of their hits while the crowd cheered and screamed at them for more.

Right after one of their most popular songs was finished, Seth held up a hand, and the audience went silent. "I'd like to thank you all for listening tonight," he said in his new hypnotic voice. "And before we get to the big event of tonight, I'd like to preform a hinting of my newest song for my beautiful mother, Gwen. I love you forever. Everyone, expect to hear the whole song on our next album, _Teeth_!"

Everyone cheered for them. Some heads turned to look for the light blue hedgehog, but she was nowhere in sight. But when Seth started singing once more, strumming lightly on his Gibson, the whole room was quiet as he let the words flow from his heart.

"_Let it go._

_Let it roll right off your shoulder._

_Don't you know? _

_The hardest part is over._

_Let it end._

_Let your clarity define you_

_In the end._

_We will only just remember how it feels._

_And all lives are made_

_In these small hours_

_These little wonders_

_These twists and turns of fate._

_Time falls away_

_But these small hours_

_These little wonders _

_Still remain." _

The whole room was hushed. The song meant so much, with so little words. Gwen felt tears streaking from her crimson eyes as she hid behind the curtain and hastily looked in a mirror to make sure her makeup wasn't dripping. And when Seth faded out into nothing at the end, everyone applauded. Vampire Children moved their gear off of the stage with one last sparkling grin from Seth.

From the DJ booth in the back, a loud male voice boomed through the room. "And now... the moment you've been waiting for. Please give a hand for... THE LADIES OF MOULIN ROUGE!"

There was thunderous clapping and whistling. Pastel pink curtains swished closed, and where they met formed a 4 feet tall black heart that was glassy like obsidian. A light turned on behind the curtain, highlighting 4 female figures.

Everyone held their breath as they waited for the best club show they would ever see in their lives. Then, Anne the Echidna's voice rippled through the crowd.

"_Where's all my soul, sistas, let me hear ya'll flow, sistas." _

That's when the show began. Blaze played as Mia, Amy was Pink, Anne sang as Lil Kim, and Gwen was the finishing touch as Christina Aguilera. There were flashing lights, stripping, and every other enhancement to make it one solid club show. Some may have called it educational. Others may have labeled it as pointless. But most absolutely loved it.

Gwen was the neon thread weaving through the neutral quit. She was easily the "youngest" of the group at her eternal age of 15, and the "best singer" with her advantage that the audience knew nothing of. The black and red corset with her breasts made everyone drool, and her crimson eyes were specially enhanced with glittering face makeup and eyeliner.

To the disappointment of a few certain individuals, the show came to an end, but it didn't end on a low note. People threw roses, cell phones, jewelry, anything shiny or pretty. Shadow, Knuckles, Silver, and Sonic leapt onto the stage to grab their mates in embraces and pecks on the cheek. The audience laughed as Shadow picked Gwen up in his arms bridal style and kissed her deeply. All four of the couples looked elated that the show was over. Gwen had a feeling that she'd be preforming this song again in the near future.

Backstage, where all of the couples could talk without the audience screaming in their faces, Gwen said to Shadow, "I did it. I didn't think I could preform that song as well as I could, but I did."

Shadow grinned and tapped the end of her nose with his finger. "I knew you could. It's because you're my sexy vampire." Their friends laughed with them.

Seth and Jade walked into the room just then, hand in hand and smiling. Jade ran into Blaze and Silver's arms. "You did an amazing job, Mom!"

"Thanks Jade," Blaze grinned as she put her arms around her daughter.

Sonic and Amy pulled apart for a moment and he looked at Shadow. "I used to envy you two, as you know. I used to wish that I had Gwen. But I'm not jealous anymore. Good job, man. You've got a great girl."

Gwen and Shadow looked at each other once more and grinned. "I know," Shadow said as he began French kissing her. After a few moments, he pulled away and said, "Wait."

Gwen was confused out of her wits. He never ended the kisses; she always did, mostly because he kept biting her lower lip or her tongue. This must have been something important. She noticed that all the other guys had ended their kisses as well, and they all exited the room together. Seth followed behind them. The girls looked at each other.

"Do you have any clue what they're doing?" Anne said to Blaze.

"Nope," she replied, "I know nothing about this whole situation."

A few minutes later, they all came in, holding boxes in front of them at their waists. "We all got presents for you," Shadow told Gwen.

Gwen's heart melted. "Thank you." She waited until all of the guys were in front of their girls before opening the box, watching them open their boxes first. When she saw their eyes widen as they looked inside, she was hesitant, but took the lid off of the box.

She blinked and Shadow grinned. "It's my dick in a box!" They looked each other in the eye.

"I'm assuming you want to be a teenager again?" Gwen grinned. "After all, you ARE 180 years old. You nasty little pedophile." He chuckled as she gave him a hug.

She heard a shudder of desire coming from Seth and turned to the noise. Completely giving up her "lady-like" image, Jade was on her knees at Seth's feet, giving him a blow job in full view of everybody in the room. She took her mouth off of his cock and sighed. "It's so hard... like it was on our bonding day. I love your vampire dick, Seth." He moaned as she began sucking on it again.

"Damn teenagers," Silver said under his breath. "Always so horny." This remark made the room shake with laughter.

- - - - -

And now, sadly, we come to the end of Gwen's truly recorded history.

It has been told that she and Shadow, along with Seth and Jade, fled their town in north-eastern Mobius shortly after the show, and that they're hiding out in a new city, back in south-western Mobius where Gwen used to live. They hunted there, and were very happy until they received the dreadful news of Sonic and Amy's death.

Sonic was killed in a car accident; he was driving, and smashed into a drunk driver's car head on. He bled to death when the ambulance didn't come in time. Everyone grieved for their blue hero, especially Seth, who had viewed Sonic to be a sort of uncle to him. Amy pierced a knife through her heart and died after the death of her mate so she could join him in her afterlife; this was traditional among her culture. Soon later, Silver and Blaze moved down to where the vampire family lived so they could comfort their friends and daughter.

Seth and Jade had three children, triplets - daughters named Yvonne and Belle and a son Victor - all of whom became vampires at the age of 15.

Jade willingly became a vampire as well when she was 15.

Gwen had another child just before then, a blue quilled, gold eyed girl named Aubrey - the name that Seth would have been given if he were a girl, from the list that she had made all those years ago.

She, of course, joined the vampire family at 15.

And now, so many years later, you can find them all living in a cottage in the middle of a great field. Occasionally you may glimpse Shadow or Aubrey attack a victim to bring back for their family.

They know they'll never return to their old life. Their life of a realistic world, of a non-mythical world, was gone forever.

This was the new beginning of their eternal life.

* * *

Please review!

I hope you've enjoyed this story, from beginning to end, and I hope it becomes more popular on FanFiction and maybe elsewhere. I hope to publish this book, so cross your fingers that you will find it on bookshelves someday! And maybe buy it? :D

I love you all so much,

~ GABL


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